True or False
by MissFaerieKaiti
Summary: Bedtime stories are fictional tales designed for the enjoyment of the listener. Or, at least, they're supposed to be. Tiny bit AUish, and takes place in the future. Read and review, please!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, peoplez! n_n This is kind of something I've been daydreaming about for a while, and I wanted to see how it would work out if I wrote it out, because my imagination tends to want to skip details when I'm only thinking about it. xD;**

**So, let me know what you think about this. It's kind of AUish, I guess. For the most part, it takes place in the Naruto world; but here, normal people view ninja as myths or fairy tales. And even if they knew 'ninja' existed, they would certainly consider their jutsu to be complete fantasy. xD Also, right now, the only characters you see are OCs, but canon characters will show up in the next chapter. ;3**

**Kaida: Kaiti owns nothing but me and my son and his friend, along with maybe a couple other OCs that might show up later. And the plotline, I guess. And she KILLED my HUSBAND. *glares***

**Kaiti: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't want to! But it was necessary to... I should probably be quiet now before I give away spoilers. D;**

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Ever since he could remember, bedtime was always Shikami's favorite part of the day. And not necessarily because he got to go to sleep, although that was part of it.

But the part about bedtime that he loved were the stories his mother would tell him. She described people, ninja, with extraordinary abilities called jutsu. And the way she told the stories, Shikami could almost believe they really existed, even though he knew they were merely fantasy, like Santa Claus or others.

There was one story in particular Shikami loved to hear, though he wasn't sure why exactly. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact his mom would only tell it to him once a year, on the same day each year, which made it feel special. Perhaps it also had something to do with the fact that it seemed even more real than the other stories because of the way his mother told it.

Shikami could guess why his mom didn't tell it often. It had a sad ending, and if there was one thing Kaida Nara could not stand, it was a tragic ending to a story. But then Shikami had to wonder why she told it at all.

His mom would never explain why. She would simply give him a sad smile and change the subject.

"Tell me the story of the two ninja," Shikami would request innocently on October third. He didn't need to specify which 'two ninja' story.

After a few years, his mom would laugh and ruffle his hair, saying, "I think you know that one better than me by now."

However, she would continue and tell him anyways. "This story takes place after the two ninja had been married for a couple of years. The boy shinobi, who could manipulate the shadows to do his will, was suddenly called away to a mission one day."

"But it wasn't too sudden, because it happened a lot," Shikami would interrupt on occasion.

His mother laughed ruefully. "More times than either of them could count. Anyways, once the Hokage, the leader of the village, had explained to him his mission, he set off with two other ninja in his squad."

"Did he know it was a dangerous mission?" Shikami asked.

"Yes, and he knew that on most missions many shinobi are sent on they have to put their lives on the line. But this one was even more dangerous than they had planned, and he and his team barely made it back in one piece." His mom's expression darkened and her voice quivered. Even after all this time, Shikami still marveled that she could act so well as though it had actually happened.

"What happened on the mission?" Shikami urged.

His mother's voice went soft. "A man who controlled snakes bigger than a house appeared, along with a few of his stronger men. He wanted something, and the shadow manipulator shinobi got in his way. His team followed him, protecting the object."

"What was it?" Shikami asked. His own voice had softened, because he didn't want to break the spell that the story seemed to cast.

"Nobody ever knew. But back at the village, everyone supposed they had succeeded, and they were given no reason to think otherwise. Two of the squad's members had been severely injured, but neither of them were as horrifying a sight as the shadow ninja. In spite of their own wounds, they carried back the dead body of the shadow shinobi."

"What about the kunoichi?" Shikami prompted quietly when his mom paused to blink back tears.

"She was horrified, and for a while, she refused to believe that he was really gone. But no matter what she tried to believe, the shadow ninja had died on that mission. Most ninja from the village had known and liked him and they all attended his funeral. His name was etched onto a monument for heroes."

"Heroes who were killed in action," Shikami finished in a whisper. Then one night he thought of a question that had never before been answered. "What happened to his wife?"

His mother wiped at her eyes and took her time before answering. "She fell into a terrible depression for days. Then one thing happened that kept her from choosing to follow her husband."

"What was it?"

She looked at Shikami like he was some kind of priceless treasure and answered, "She found out she was about to have a child. Someone else's life suddenly depended on her own survival, and that kept her going."

Shikami thought about that for a while after his mother had left him for the night. In her stories, everyone always risked their lives for everyone else, so he supposed it made sense for the story that a baby would save the woman from killing herself. But, in the real world, could a person really love someone else so much that suicide seemed like the only good solution?

Somehow that made him think of his dad. Shikamaru Nara, his mother had told him. Shikami had inherited the first part of his name, the same way he had from his own dad, Shikami's grandfather. And his mom told him often how much he looked like him.

His father had died sometime when Shikami was young – though how young, he was never told. He had no memories of his dad. Shikamaru had died from a freak accident when he and Kaida had been on vacation somewhere.

Shikami hated whatever or whoever it was that had killed his dad. His mom was so sad over it that she didn't talk about it at all unless questioned, and even then she gave very vague answers. So after a while, Shikami had just dropped it. No one else he knew had known his dad, so they could never give him any more specific information.

* * *

Years later, when Shikami was twelve, bedtime was still his favorite part of the day, because of the stories he had never outgrown. However, he also loved other parts of the day that were not consumed by school. His mother had taught him to play strategy games like chess and shogi, as well as others. On one lucky occasion, he even beat her. Cloud-watching was another passtime he enjoyed. And he also liked to hang out with his best friend Ethan, who was one of the few people who even gave Shikami the time of day.

Not that he minded. Being too popular would've been a real drag, and he and Ethan had fun together. They talked, they played, they shared silence, and other stuff as well. Sometimes, Ethan would even ask to hear some of the ninja stories Shikami knew.

"Man, some of this stuff is so cliché," Ethan commented from time to time.

Shikami shrugged. "It's more interesting than real history."

And on that, Ethan emphatically agreed.

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So what do you think? Good, bad, good but needs work, etc? *pokes review button below*


	2. Chapter 2

**Kaida: I don't have to repeat the disclaimer again, do I?**

**Kaiti: Why not? =3**

**Kaida: *strikes Shikamaru pose* =3= It's such a drag...**

**Kaiti: Awww, that's so adorable! *hugglez Shikamaru***

**Kaida: Oh no, you don't! You don't deserve him, murderer! *glares again and steals Shikamaru back***

* * *

Just after Shikami's thirteenth birthday, a couple visitors appeared. He had never seen them before, but his mom definitely knew them. The look in her eyes was hard to decipher, though, when she first caught sight of them. It almost seemed like fear and joy both at once.

"Ino, Choji, long time no see!" his mother laughed, inviting them in. The initial look of… surprise, Shikami decided it was, had vanished. The group of four sat around in the living room. "Ino, Choji, this is my son, Shikami. Shikami, these people are Choji and Ino Akimichi."

Choji was a guy with brown hair and black eyes, and he seemed well overweight. Ino on the other hand had long blond hair and blue eyes, and she was bordering on too thin.

"Hey," Shikami greeted them, raising an eyebrow. Ino gasped, seeming to see him for the first time.

"Oh my goodness, you look so much like your father!" she said, nearly crushing him with a hug. It was the first time anyone but his mom had told him that.

Choji grinned and gave him a handshake. "Pleased to meet you, Shikami. Last time I saw you, you had been only a couple months old."

"Thanks?" Shikami tried. It seemed like the thing to say, anyways.

His mom disappeared into the kitchen for a few seconds and came back out with a bunch of snacks. She set them on the table in the middle of the room with a grin. "Go ahead and dig in. If you haven't changed much from when I last saw you, Choji, you're always hungry."

"Kind of like you used to be, huh, Kaida?" Choji commented with a smile, reaching over for some chips. His mom laughed.

Shikami was halfway curious about what they had come for, but after a couple minutes of aimless chattering, a somewhat awkward silence fell. He excused himself to go take a nap, but the moment he left, they started talking again in lower tones.

If that didn't scream secret, Shikami had no idea what else would. He hesitated outside the door, wondering if he should just leave and not even bother with what he wasn't supposed to hear, or if he should stay just to see what they were hiding. He wasn't really the type to eavesdrop – it was too troublesome, and he'd never had much reason to before. And yet...

Then someone knocked on the door of the house. The hushed tones stopped. Shikami scooted away from the entrance to the living room to avoid raising suspicion, then he made his way to the door. His mother stepped out of the room and began in the same direction too, but then she paused when she saw Shikami. He glanced back at her and she gave him a smile and motioned him forward before turning back into the living room.

It was Ethan, looking for something to do. If Shikami had wanted to eavesdrop, it would have to be later.

Ethan and Shikami strolled through the town with no particular destination in mind. They paused every so often to glance inside a shop at something that looked interesting, but otherwise they just walked. And talked.

"Who were those people that went to your house?" Ethan asked after a while, curiosity grabbing him.

Shikami shrugged and yawned. "Some friends my parents had a while ago, I guess. I didn't really get told details."

"From your mom's mysteriously secret past?" Ethan asked dramatically.

"That was a bit redundant," Shikami commented. "If it's secret, doesn't that usually make it mysterious?"

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Sure, sensei. But seriously, nobody has any idea what her life what like before she moved here. Nobody I've met, anyways."

"That was back before Dad died, and you know how touchy that subject is for her. My guess would be they practically grew up together, which means she can't talk about her past without talking about him," Shikami replied.

"Man, you're no fun," Ethan complained. "Don't you have an imagination? What if she's running from the law, or some evil guy's got it in for her, or something?"

Shikami didn't reply. He usually didn't need to when Ethan was like this.

However, instead of pushing the topic like Shikami had expected, he changed the subject. "I was going to either invite myself over to your place or invite you to mine tonight, but if you have company, I guess it'll have to wait, huh?"

Shikami shrugged. "Probably. Any specific reason why you chose today, or just because?"

Ethan grinned, showing off his chipped tooth. "My sis is having a sleepover with her millions of friends, so you'd be doing me a favor by either staying over or letting me stay at your place."

"Hard luck."

"That's all you have to say?"

Shikami sighed. "It couldn't hurt to ask, I guess."

"Awesome. You're a life saver, Shikami," Ethan said, thumping his friend's shoulder.

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Okay, so this chapter was a bit on the short side, I think, but this seemed like a pretty good place to stop. Next chapter will probably involve some sneaking around, but maybe not. We'll see how it turns out. xD

**Review~!**


	3. Chapter 3

**-insert usual disclaimer here- xD**

**Mkay, unless I feel the need to repeat it, I'm going to skip the disclaimer for the rest of the story. :P**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter! n_n**

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Somehow, Shikami and Ethan managed to get Shikami's mom to say yes, provided Ino and Choji didn't mind, which they said they didn't. So Ethan lugged over a few necessities for the night and spent the rest of the day with Shikami as well.

What remained of the afternoon was spent mostly either playing chess or talking with Ino and Choji. For anyone listening, they seemed to talk a lot. However, the amount of information Shikami actually found out about them was little to nothing.

Then, after his mom and Ino went grocery shopping for supper, leaving the three boys at the house, Shikami risked a question.

"You knew my dad, right?"

Choji raised an eyebrow and half grinned. "We were best friends," he answered.

Ethan elbowed Shikami in the ribs, probably not meaning to do it so hard. Ethan then gave him a not very subtle look that said something along the lines of, "Dude, no way! Someone who actually _knows_! Don't stop with just one question!"

"What was he like?" Shikami asked, rubbing his sore side.

"Hmm, where to start?" Choji mused. "Well, how about you tell me what you know about him, and we'll go from there?"

"I look like him," Shikami said. "He died when he went on some trip with my mom."

Choji waited.

"And... That's all," Shikami mumbled.

Choji stared at him. "You're joking," he finally decided.

Out of the corner of his eye, Shikami could see Ethan slicing his hand across his throat and shaking his head emphatically. Shikami almost wanted to laugh, but he managed to keep a straight face.

"Okay, maybe you're not joking." Choji shrugged. "I guess it wasn't a very funny joke, anyways. So, um, let's see. I noticed you creamed Ethan in chess today," he added, seeming to go off-topic. Shikami couldn't help the smirk, though.

"I'm just a warm-up," Ethan said, pretending to pout pathetically as he said that. "Shikami just uses me for practice to beat Ms. Kaida."

Choji laughed. "If you're anything like your dad, you'll wind up demolishing her in no time. Shikamaru was undefeated in strategy games, and he played against some of the best strategists."

"Best strategists of where?" Shikami asked, suddenly even more curious. Had his dad been someone famous or something?

"Oh, uh..." Choji looked as though he'd swallowed a frog. "Just the place we grew up in. Nowhere special. He'd play against some older guys he knew, like his dad and his dad's friends."

Obviously Choji was hiding something. But who was Shikami to question his word? It would be too much of a pain to try and interrogate him, anyways.

Shikami almost hated to admit it, but Ethan seemed to have been right, at least to some extent. His mom's past was more of a mystery than ever now.

* * *

That night, just before Shikami and Ethan were shooed off to Shikami's bedroom, everyone gathered in the living room to hear his mom tell a story. There were two main ninja to this one as well. One was from a ninja village in the desert, and the other was from the main village she talked about. Both had had hard pasts, and both carried demons within them.

She told about a long, hard fight. The one from the desert village fought for himself, while the other fought to save his friends. In the end, the desert ninja was converted, and he and the other ninja became friends.

Shikami felt himself hang on every word, as usual. In the few occasions he took to look at the others' reactions, they seemed to enjoy it, too. Ethan seemed to have mixed reaction to the entire story, cheering at some places, gagging from the sappiness in others. Ino and Choji both seemed like they could envision it even better than Shikami.

Too soon, Shikami and Ethan were ordered to bed, in spite of the protests that neither boy was sleepy. Shikami's mom laughed and told them they could stay up talking all night, so long as for all she knew they were asleep.

Then about an hour later, Ethan was breathing deeply, telling a still-wide-awake Shikami that his friend had fallen asleep. He laid there a while longer, then decided he wanted a drink of water. So, he tiptoed his way down through the quiet house to the kitchen.

"No, I can't."

So much for a quiet house. Shikami's mother's voice drifted into the kitchen from the dining room, sounding strained.

"I'm sorry, but you're asking too much," his mom said.

"Kaida, our forces are spread way too thin; we need everyone we can get." That must have been Ino's voice.

Some part of Shikami knew this was wrong; he shouldn't be listening in. But he couldn't help it; he was way too curious what they were talking about. What couldn't his mother do? What was with the 'forces' part?

"It took a lot of convincing to get Naruto to send us here." That was Choji, of course, being the only male voice. "If you don't help us, he would consider this trip a waste of time, when we could be somewhere else contributing our help."

"I haven't even so much as _glanced_ at a kunai in ages," Shikami's mom protested. "Even if I were to agree, I would be more of a hindrance than a help."

Kunai? As in, those specially formed knives from the ninja stories?

"We're not asking you to jump back in with both feet, at least not immediately," Choji promised.

"You could start out with lower-ranked C missions, or maybe B-ranked, if Naruto's too impatient," Ino suggested. "A- and S-ranked stuff could come later, after you're back in top condition."

Missions? Shikami leaned against the wall and slid down until he was in a sitting position. Maybe this was all just a dream, or a joke. His mother had told him about the different ranking systems for ninja missions, but those stories weren't true. Right?

"And what of Shikami?" Shikami glanced up and over at the room at his mom's mention of his name. "You would have me just leave him?"

There was a pause, a short silence, and Shikami imagined Ino reaching across the table to grab his mom's hand. The two had seemed like really close friends, so he didn't think the idea was far-fetched.

"I can't offer any comfort to that than what I've already said," Ino finally replied softly. "You won't be asked to start out with the most dangerous missions first, not until you're ready."

His mother took a long, shaky breath. "I'll do it," she whispered, her voice so low Shikami had to strain to hear it.

But he had heard more than enough. He pinched himself just to make sure this wasn't all just a dream (which it wasn't; how troublesome), then he made his way silently back to his room.

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*legaspohnoez* What's going to happen next? *dramatic music*

Only one way to find out! *begins brainstorming for next chapter*

**Don't forget to review! ;D**

**(Also, if I don't miraculously have an update tomorrow, MERRY CHRISTMAS! 83)**


	4. Chapter 4

**And here goes three updates in three days! Wish me luck, so I can keep it up. xDD**

**Oh, and MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone! 8D Hope you have a terrific day!**

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Sunlight streamed in through Shikami's window, waking him up before he felt completely rested. He blinked a few times, annoyed, then got up. A quick glance around his room confirmed what was usually the case: Ethan had gotten up before him and was probably in the kitchen or dining room.

Shikami listened for a moment, quietly going to the door of his room. Yep, there were definitely sounds of breakfast being made. The familiarity was comforting, especially after what had happened...

Shikami stopped suddenly, one foot out the door. Now, in bright sunshine, with everything seeming the way it had always been, last night seemed like a dream.

But, no, he distinctly remembered pinching himself to make sure, and the more he thought about it, the more distinctly he remembered the conversation as well. His mom was going to do something dangerous, and it seemed to have something to do with the bedtime stories – missions and kunai, at least.

He forced himself to stay calm. It wasn't like he was going to lose his mother, after all. She was... Well, she was _always_ there. No way could she just disappear.

Shikami stepped out fully into the hallway and made his way into the kitchen. Ethan sat at the table in the dining room, and Ino was busy in the kitchen.

"Where's Mom?" Shikami asked.

Ino glanced over at him and smiled. "Good morning, Shikami. Your mother is in her room still, getting ready. She'll be out soon. Have a seat next to Ethan."

Shikami did as he was told, slipping into a chair. Ethan was viciously attacking a stack of pancakes with too much syrup.

"Getting ready for what?" Shikami asked.

"She'll tell you later," Ino answered vaguely, setting a plate of pancakes in front of him.

Shikami usually had a pretty big appetite (one thing his mom said he'd inherited from her, not to mention the fact he was a growing boy), but this morning he felt as if could barely get down a single pancake. He finished off the plate Ino had given him, though, to be polite, but he didn't ask for more.

Choji had come out halfway through, and he was eating as though it was the first meal he'd had in years. It was a while before Ino had time to sit down and eat her own breakfast.

Finally, Shikami's mother entered the kitchen and sat down at the table as well. She had probably eaten before Shikami got up, because she didn't fix anything for herself this morning.

"Mom?" Shikami asked after a while.

She blinked as though she had just been in a trance, then looked over at him and smiled. "Good morning, Shikami, and you too, Ethan. Sleep well?"

Ethan gave a chip-toothed grin and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Thanks again for having me over."

"Not a problem. We always enjoy having you. Shikami?"

"Oh. Yeah," Shikami answered, unsure if he was agreeing with his mom or answering her first question.

Concern flashed through her eyes as she studied Shikami. "Is something wrong, hon?"

Shikami tried not to squirm. After eavesdropping last night, he didn't want to lie, too.

Fortunately, Ino said something to get his mom's attention. She didn't look away easily, though. She mouthed 'We'll talk later', and turned to Ino and Choji.

Shikami was going to hold her to that. If she really was leaving, he would tell her what he'd heard when she returned. Then they would either laugh about something Shikami had somehow imagined up, or they would be in for a much longer discussion. Or if she didn't go anywhere with Choji and Ino, he would tell her all the same after they left. The reaction options would probably be the same, too, though.

* * *

After breakfast, Shikami said goodbye to Ethan.

"Guess it's time for me to go," Ethan began. "Wish me luck. I'll need it if my sister's friends haven't left already," he groaned.

Shikami had to grin, and he was thankful he didn't have any troublesome sisters to deal with. Ethan griped about his all the time. "Good luck, buddy. See you later."

"Ethan, would you hang on a moment for me, please?" Shikami's mom cut in.

"Um, sure, Ms. Kaida. What is it?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow inquiringly at Shikami, who simply shrugged in response.

Shikami's mother slipped on some shoes. "I'd like to walk you home this time; I have something I want to speak with your parents about."

Ethan shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Did I... do something wrong?"

She laughed and shook her head. "Not at all, though I suppose I should wonder, judging from that reaction."

And with that, the two left, leaving Shikami standing at the door. When Choji came out a few minutes later with the only backpack he had brought on his back, Shikami had shifted his position only slightly so that he was sitting on the floor.

Choji looked like he was about to say something, but then he hesitated and seemed to change his mind. He didn't leave, though, either, so the two stayed there in silence for a while.

Roughly twenty minutes later, Shikami's mom stepped back inside and seemed surprised that they were still there. Then her expression dimmed slightly, and she said, "Shikami, can I talk with you in my room for a sec?"

"Sure, Mom," Shikami answered, attempting a half-smile. He followed her to her room and sat on her bed as she closed the door behind her. Then she walked over to him and sat beside him. Shikami noticed a worn backpack packed and leaning against the wall near the door.

"Shikami, I'm going on a trip with Ino and Choji for a while," she said, not bothering to ease him into it at all. In a way, Shikami was glad. It just would've made him more uneasy than he already was.

"Where to?" Shikami asked.

"I'm not exactly sure right now. Where I go will be decided when I meet up with some other people," she answered. "While I'm gone, you're to stay here, living in either this house or Ethan's. His parents will keep an eye on you, visit you if you don't choose to stay with them."

She then handed him keys to the house, reminded him that it was to stay locked at night and whenever he left. Ethan was not to stay the night. He was to have his regular meals at reasonable times. Et cetera.

"Mom, I get it. Behave," Shikami finally interrupted, summing all the rules up with a single word.

Shikami had expected a laugh, but all his mom did was smile and give him a hug.

"Why do you have to go?" Shikami asked, returning the pressure. He needed to know. She had never gone on any trips that he could remember, and this one seemed worse than a normal one after what he had heard last night. Besides, his dad had died on the last one.

She squeezed him a little tighter, then released him. "I can't tell you. I'm sorry, but you just have to trust me."

Shikami trusted _her_, but it was other people he didn't trust. Even Ino and Choji (if he had to admit it) he didn't trust. He felt that he probably should, and that his mom trusted them, but he couldn't.

"You… _will_ come back, right?"

Shikami thought that he had gone too far, blown that he knew this wasn't just any trip. His mother didn't answer for a while. Then she took a deep breath like she was gathering courage, and she poured it all out in a brilliant smile, along with the promise, "I will come back."

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...Four chapters and Shikami is still for the most part in the dark. o_O' But I do actually have a few different ideas to help him figure it out. Maybe I'll use more than one. If so, some stuff should be made clearer to him in the next chapter. xD;

**No forgetting to leave a review, kay? xDD**


	5. Chapter 5

***squee* Longer chapter this time, but I still somehow managed to get it done in less than a day. Go me! xD**

**Anyways, most, if not all, of this chapter is Shikami finding out who his parents really were. Of course, not _everything _can be explained yet, but... xD Enjoy! :P**

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Shikami caught the apple, shifted it to his other hand, and threw it back.

He and Ethan were sitting in a field near their homes, only a few yards away from each other, tossing an apple back and forth. It was an activity that didn't require much concentration, so the boys talked back and forth as well.

"You're sure you don't want to stay over at my place?" Ethan asked. "It's going to be pretty quiet at your house – creepy quiet."

Shikami shrugged. "It's not like it's noisy at night anyways, and during the day I don't have to sit there and do nothing."

Usually, Shikami preferred quiet and doing nothing, especially when alone. But a quiet field when he watched clouds sail by or the wind move tree branches was one thing; a quiet house when his mom was usually laughing or cooking or even just flipping pages in a book was another. He had accepted Ethan and his parents' offer to have supper with them each night, but otherwise, he would be staying at his own home.

He had his reasons for it, even if he refused to admit a couple of them even to himself. His house was probably the first place his mom would go when she returned (yes, _when_, not if), and he wanted to know about it as soon as he could.

Also, he had an idea. A bad one, and one that would probably get him into trouble if his mom found out, but he planned on doing it anyways.

He wanted to look through her room for information she might have that would give him clues about her past.

And Shikami couldn't do that if he spent every hour of the day with Ethan, especially since he didn't want even his best friend to know what Shikami suspected he might find.

He was shying away from that thought, though. He just wanted the truth, and he wanted to keep opinions and suspicions at bay until he found it.

He threw the apple back at Ethan a little harder this time.

* * *

Shikami stepped inside his house after supper and locked the door for the night. Then he made his way through the house, passed his own room, and entered his mom's. He flipped on the light switch and glanced around, debating where would be the best place to start looking.

His gaze fell on his mother's desk, where it had papers cluttered over the top of it, along with pens and pencils. Most of it looked like bills.

He opened the drawer in the middle of the desk. Blank paper and erasers were the only things he saw.

He pulled open another drawer, to the right. He had wondered where those books had disappeared to. His mom had probably forgotten to put them back on the shelf when she had finished reading them, then shoved them into the nearest convenient spot when she needed room on her desk.

He moved left and opened that drawer. A spare black knight and white pawn to the chess game left the drawer basically empty.

He moved to the drawer below that, the second-to-last one to check, and stopped. That paper wasn't blank. He pulled out the top one, which looked like a newspaper clipping that had been crumpled up and then smoothed back out, like it was bad news that was held onto for a reminder of something gone wrong.

Shikami swallowed hard as he read the article, shocked to realize how right he'd been.

Shikamaru Nara, a jonin from the ninja of Konoha, their number one strategist, had died on October the third. The cause of death had been classified information. The article listed other information as well, including surviving family members and friends. He recognized his mom's name, and Choji had been mentioned, too. Shikaku must have been Shikami's grandfather.

"My dad died October third," Shikami whispered aloud. "Dad... was a ninja."

Could he also manipulate shadows? Shikami wondered, thinking about the story he had been told each year on October third.

No way.

Shikami bit his lip, hard, and forced himself to set aside the newspaper clipping. There was still more in the drawer.

What he pulled out next was a strip of metal with a leaf engraved into it. It looked like it was somehow sown into a black piece of cloth that had been cut away from whatever other cloth it had once been attached to.

Shikami stood and looked in his mother's mirror, slowly raising the piece to his forehead. He pulled it back down again, sinking to kneel on the floor again. If it _had_ once been a headband, like his mom said all ninja wore, it had for some reason been cut away from the rest of the cloth that had been meant to tie it securely in place.

He put the item on gently on top of the newspaper article and pulled out a third item.

It was a picture frame, but he couldn't tell through the glass what the person looked like. He rubbed away the dust and gaped.

It was a picture of four people, three kids and one adult. The adult had black hair, a black beard, and black eyes, plus a cigar in his mouth. He wore a ninja headband with a leaf etched into it.

The boy on the left had brown hair and black eyes and pretty much looked overweight. His headband was slightly different from the older man's, but it still had the leaf in it. He was obviously a lot younger in the picture, but Shikami could still see tons of similarities. Choji.

The only girl in the picture was on the right. She had blue eyes and long blond hair mostly pulled back and up into a pony tail, but some of her hair was hanging in front of her face. Shikami didn't doubt that he was looking at Ino.

But the boy in the middle was the one that had immediately grabbed Shikami's attention. He had black eyes and black hair that was pulled up like Ino's, but it wasn't long enough to hang down. It pretty much stood straight up.

And unless Shikami looked closely, he almost thought he was staring at a picture of himself. There were differences, of course, but the overall image was a lot like Shikami.

Was this his dad, Shikamaru Nara? It almost had to be, unless his dad had had a twin or something. The resemblance was too strong for him _not_ to be related to Shikami somehow.

Ino and his dad, or uncle, or however they were related (he was going to go with dad), didn't seem to be wearing headbands. Why was that?

What would be pulled out of the drawer next? Shikami wasn't completely sure he wanted to continue.

He stared at the picture for a couple minutes longer, then set it down and pulled out another picture. He wiped away the dust again and saw another group of four.

The adult in this picture seemed pretty young, but he was definitely the oldest in the group. He had blondish-brown hair and olive green eyes.

He seemed similar in appearance with the girl on the left, who had short, golden-brown hair and the same eyes. Her headband, if it could be called that here, was worn around her neck.

Shikami glanced back at the first picture, looking for signs that Ino and his dad were wearing theirs somewhere else as well. On Ino, he still didn't see anything, but he noticed something that might have been the headband tied around his dad's arm. The picture cut off most of it, though, so Shikami couldn't be sure.

He turned back to the second picture. In the middle was a boy with black hair and brown eyes so dark Shikami almost thought they were black too. The boy had an expression Shikami had seen more than once at his own school – the typical expression of I'm-better-than-you-and-don't-you-forget-it. His headband was tied around his head.

One the right was another girl that made Shikami's heartbeat quicken. She had long red hair, freckles, and hazel green eyes. Her headband also was worn around her forehead. Her bright smile was familiar.

Without a doubt, Shikami had found a picture of his mom. She had been a ninja, too. No wonder no one knew anything of her past.

But then why hadn't she told Shikami? Why had she left the ninja world?

Shikami thought about the stories his mother told. Were they one hundred percent true? _Did_ ninja have unusual abilities called jutsu? Or had she added that to make the stories seem less real, so he would never guess that they were, for the most part, true?

No matter which was true, according to the story told each October, his dad had died on a mission before Shikami was even born. His mother had been ready to die, too, but then Shikami had come into the picture.

Maybe even though his mom had begun the healing process with him, the sadness was still too much. Maybe that was why she had left.

Shikami pulled out the last thing in the drawer, another picture. He cleaned the glass again to be able to see the image beneath it.

This one had only two people in it: his parents. They were older in this picture, maybe around eighteen. Shikami now saw his father's headband; it was a part of his sleeve. The sleeve was black, and must have been where the headband he had found in the drawer had come from.

His father had his arms around his mother's waist, and he was grinning like he had won the lottery. His mom looked like she was about to burst into laughter at any moment. Neither of them seemed to notice that the picture had been taken.

Shikami slowly replaced the items in the same way he had found them. There was little he could do about the dust, or lack thereof, but it seemed to matter little at that time.

He glanced at the last drawer, but he didn't open it. He had enough to think about already; in fact, he seriously doubted he would be able to sleep that night. He would risk more of his mom's memories later.

Shikami stood and exited the room, flipping the light switch off so that the entire house was in complete darkness.

**

* * *

**

*legasp* So many answers, and so many new questions! :o

**Haha, anyways, the way I figure it, a couple weeks are going to pass before the next major thing happens. I've got that kinda planned, but I'm not totally sure what Shikami should do in the meantime. Ideas would help! xD**

**Anyways, review time now! ^^**


	6. Chapter 6

**And here goes the first of two (or _maybe_ more) chapters where Shikami is forced to exercise patience! xD Overall, this chapter contains less seriousness than the first few. Of course, nothing until the end can be completely carefree, but... xD**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"What are you planning on doing for your birthday this year?" Shikami asked Ethan the next day. Ethan's birthday was only about a month after Shikami's, in the beginning of July.

"I've been wondering about that, too," Ethan replied, making a face at one of the trees in front of him. The two boys had spent the last half hour climbing a few different trees, but now they were just sitting in the branches of one. "It's only a little less than a week away, and I still haven't decided."

"You went on a hike up some mountains last year," Shikami reminded him. "And you had a sleepover the year before. And the year before that, you sailed a lake and claimed to have sailed round the world in less than twenty-four hours."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "I was ten, okay? How was I supposed to tell the difference between a lake and an ocean? They're both big enough."

Shikami grinned. "So this year, you're going to...?" he prompted.

Ethan thought for a moment, then he grinned. "How 'bout a treasure hunt? That'll be fun! And if my parents do it right, it could take up most of the day!"

"Sounds good," Shikami agreed.

Ethan jumped down from the tree and looked back up at Shikami. "Well, let's go tell them now, so they can get started!" he called.

Shikami rolled his eyes but grinned, leaping down beside his friend and then following him to his house.

In spite of the teasing Shikami had taken part in, he found his mind constantly drifting back to his mother and what he'd found in her drawer. The pictures, mostly.

And that morning, Shikami had gone back and investigated the last drawer. It had been empty, though for some reason all scratched up on the inside. Shikami had wondered what had happened to make it that way, but he couldn't very well figure it out.

Until he found the star-shaped weapon, the whatever-it-was-called – shuriken? It had been under the desk as though shoved there accidentally one day. Maybe the "one day" had been when his mom left. She had pulled other weapons from the drawer and the throwing star had fallen from her grasp without her noticing.

"Ethan."

Ethan's mom's voice penetrated Shikami's thoughts.

"Yeah, Mom?" Ethan replied.

"Calm down. You father and I will work something out for this treasure hunt, and it won't be much fun for you if you keep giving us ideas on what clues to place where."

Ethan smiled sheepishly. "Fine, sorry."

His mom smiled in return. "Now, you and Shikami run along, but be sure to be back before six."

"We will," Ethan promised, dragging Shikami back out of the house. "Hmmm, what to do now?" he mused.

"That flash of boredom came on quickly," Shikami noted, raising an eyebrow.

Ethan grinned. "Just answer the question."

Shikami thought for a moment. If he was completely honest, he wanted to go looking for wherever his mom had gone off to so he knew she was okay and so he could try and get information about his dad from her or other people that might have known him. And he wanted to know if jutsu were really everything his mother had described.

"We could play shogi," Shikami suggested.

Ethan grinned and shook his head. "Here, give me a minute and I'll predict the future." He put his index fingers on his head, closed his eyes, and pretended to concentrate. "I'm getting a vision... It's a vision of... Ethan and Shikami... And Shikami has easily won a game of shogi for the billionth time in a row."

Shikami couldn't help but laugh.

"I know," Ethan said suddenly. "We could find some old guy around town that really knows how to play, and he could teach you so you could surprise your mom by creaming _her_ for once when she gets back."

"Now _that's_ an idea," Shikami agreed.

"Are you saying I usually have bad ideas?" Ethan demanded.

"No, I'm saying I do."

Ethan laughed so hard he almost fell over.

* * *

That night, Shikami lay in bed, thinking. His mind was swimming in all the points and tips and strategies he had been given that day. There was a ton of information he'd learned, but somehow he had managed to absorb it all and apply it in the game.

He and Ethan had spent about an hour tracking down the right guy for the job – not too bossy, not too busy, not too forgetful, et cetera. The first game the two had played had been no contest – Shikami lost quickly.

But by the time Ethan's mother's deadline had rolled around, the man had had to step up his game more than one notch to keep Shikami from winning. Or so he said. Shikami chose to believe him.

He held up the shuriken he had found in his mom's room, watching the electric lights reflect off of it. He sure hoped his mom had thrown away any other weapons she had had, at least if they were in about the same condition as this one. It would do more harm than good, as time had done its job well.

Shikami flicked his lights off and rolled over, waiting for sleep to find him.

* * *

**And the next chapter will probably contain the birthday party itself, along with something I _almost_ put in this chapter. But it'll wait for another week, story-time. ;3**

**You know what comes next, right? Review time! xD**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter was pretty hard to write for some reason... o_O' But I'm still keeping up with an update a day! *squee* ^.^~**

**And for the most part again, this chapter is (at least during the beginning) pretty carefree. Enjoy! ^_^**

* * *

Shikami spent the rest of the week doing average pass-times with Ethan and getting lessons in strategy games from that man. After a few days, Shikami managed to come up with his own winning strategies to beat him once or twice.

Then the day of Ethan's birthday treasure hunt dawned. When Shikami went over to his house, about half a dozen other kids were already there, and more were still arriving. Ethan's cousins.

"Yo, Shikami, what's up?" one of the boys called. Shikami hadn't seen him in a couple of years and couldn't remember the guy's name. He gave a halfhearted wave in reply.

A few others called out to Shikami before he managed to find Ethan in the sea of people.

"Shikami!" Ethan greeted him.

"Happy birthday," Shikami said, having to raise his voice to be heard above the crowd's noise level. What a pain. He couldn't wait until they spread out once the treasure hunt began.

"Thanks, man," Ethan grinned. "We're getting paired up into teams for the treasure hunt thing, and each team gets its own hint on where to start looking. You want to be my partner?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Shikami agreed.

About a half hour later, Ethan's dad called for quiet. He explained what Ethan had already told Shikami, then added, "We've hidden clues and riddles all over town. They'll eventually lead to the treasure we've hidden." He motioned to his wife, who began passing around small scraps of paper to the different teams. "You may begin when ready."

Ethan and Shikami glanced at their sheet of paper. It was a picture of a birthday cake with a single candle sticking out from an unusual place. The rest of the cake had different sprinkles and other edibles found on different places. Overall, it looked like a very random doodle.

"What on earth, Mom?" Ethan complained. She gave him an apologetic smile but didn't say anything.

"It's a map," Shikami explained. Ethan gave him a look like he'd gone insane.

"A birthday cake a map? You're crazy."

Shikami nearly second-guessed himself, because it _did_ sound pretty weird, but another good look at the cake confirmed it.

"See this m&m? That's about where the candy shop would be if you look at it the right way. And the candy E is your house, and the skittle is mine," he pointed out.

Ethan still looked skeptical, but he asked, "So what is it trying to tell us? Look at every single location marked to find the clue?"

Shikami thought for a moment. "We need to look for the candle," he decided.

So the boys hurried off, searching for that spot on the "map". The candle wound up being, after two wrong guesses, the bookstore. The cashier on duty gave them their second clue, which Ethan solved that time, leading them to a park. A couple hours and several clues later, they found themselves at the movie theater.

They were barred from going in, however, as they had no tickets. The guy frowned down at them and told them to scram unless they had money.

"But we're here on a treasure hunt," Ethan protested. "We need to get in to find our next clue."

"Oh." The man's face cleared, as though that made all the difference. "Well, then, which movie does your clue want you to see? I've got your tickets bought and paid for already."

"Uhh," Ethan muttered, turning to Shikami. "Does it specify?"

Shikami studied the clue thoughtfully. Then he pointed to a movie title. "We need to see that one," he requested. "Keep your eyes peeled throughout the movie for something that doesn't belong - the next clue," he said to Ethan, who nodded in reply.

And they were off again as soon as the movie ended, not having seen the clue until _after_ the credits, which had seemed like a big waste of time.

A lunch break and many, many clues later, they came to the forest. Ethan pointed ahead to the ground in front of a tree where a big X was drawn in the dirt. "X marks the spot," he said.

Shikami nodded in agreement, handing Ethan one of the two shovels they had been given at their last hint stop, a flower store. The boys then set to work digging.

Then Ethan struck something hard. He grinned and pushed away more dirt with his hands, Shikami dropping to help him after a moment.

"Got it!" Ethan declared triumphantly momets later. He held out the box for Shikami to see. It had probably once been black but painted gold, but after being buried, left, and dug back up, it was mostly black and brown with some gold left in a couple places. Shikami entered the combination from one of their first clues and the lid popped open to reveal its treasure. Dozens of gold coins - chocolate wrapped in gold foil - appeared.

Ethan was still grinning like crazy. He looked about to reach in to eat a few, but he glanced at his filthy hands first and hesitated.

"Let's get back to your place, clean up, and declare the treasure hunt officially over," Shikami suggested.

Ethan laughed. "Yes, sir!"

There was some general complaining as the other teams were tracked down and told it was over, but they weren't as bad once they were offered some sweets themselves.

"Best birthday ever!" Ethan sighed contentedly after supper and most of his relatives had left.

Shikami grinned. "If memory serves, you say that every year."

"It's true every year," Ethan protested.

Shikami continued to grin, but he chose not to respond. Then, "Oh, I almost forgot. Here, happy birthday." Shikami pulled some money from his pocket and handed it to his friend. "My mom left me more money than I think I'll use while she's gone."

"Thanks," Ethan replied, pocketing the money.

A comfortable silence fell between them, then Ethan broke it. "She'll be all right, you know."

"What?" Shikami asked, surprise quickening his pulse.

"Your mom. I don't know what's going on, and if you know, you don't have to tell me if you don't want, but I seriously doubt she'll just leave you permanently."

Shikami knew Ethan had no idea how close to home he had struck, and he wasn't sure how Ethan knew Shikami was worried, but the statement was reassuring. Now it was his turn to say, "Thanks."

His mother had been gone for more than a week now. When was she going to come back?

* * *

She held completely still, tension in every muscle of her body making her stiff and even cold on that summer night. She could imagine her ears quivering with the intensity of her listening. As her eyes were useless in the moonless night, she was depending solely on sound.

There was a small, guilty part of her that liked the tension, enjoyed placing herself in danger again. She tried to smother it.

Her squad members were close by; she could still smell the smoke of their campfire. All she had to do was call out, and— And what? They'd come running to help? She couldn't even be sure this wasn't a false alarm. Besides, their eyes away from the fire would be just as useless as her own. They could even wind up fighting each other.

No, she had to deal with this alone. She had to stay strong.

A twig snapped behind her; she twisted around swiftly and launched a set of kunai. There were a few unsatisfying thumps as the kunai embedded themselves in a tree. Either she had aimed wrong, or the target had moved even more quickly than she had. Or she was being paranoid.

Cold, dark laughter emitted from not even a foot behind her, causing a chill to run up and down her spine. Before she could react, she felt a pressure on her neck. Her world couldn't get any darker than it already was, but her other senses dimmed and then stopped as well, and she pitched forward into unconsciousness.

_Forgive me,_ her mind whispered, silently calling out to the most important person in her life. _I failed you._

**

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**

Dun dun dun duuuuun! o3o

**Okay, first off, in case you were wondering from the last chapter: yes, Kaida ditched her decade-old and useless weapons and got more. ;3**

**Also, the next chapter will probably contain the next major thing to happen, unless I wind up with another idea to pass some time to keep Shikami in suspense. xD;**

**Now, review like there's no tomorrow! xD**


	8. Chapter 8

**And now, cue dramatic music! :o Or, at least, once the first few paragraphs are done... xD**

* * *

The next three days followed the same pattern as the days before Ethan's birthday – Shikami hung out with Ethan, got strategy game lessons from the old man, had supper with Ethan's family, and collapsed in bed a couple hours after that.

Then on the fourth morning, Shikami answered a knock on the door to reveal two women and a pig. None of them, pig included, looked happy.

"May we come in?" the first one asked. She had blond hair pulled back into two ponytails and brown eyes. Some kind of blue, diamond-shaped tattoo, or whatever it was supposed to be, was visible on her forehead.

Shikami was about to say no, and that they should try back when his parents could come to the door, when the second lady stepped forward. She looked somewhat older than the first, had short black hair and black eyes, and she was holding the pig in her arms, which seemed to be dressed in humanish clothes.

"It's about your mother," she said quietly.

Shikami felt his eyes widen slightly, and he stepped back in answer so they could enter. He didn't exactly trust his voice right then.

The first lady marched right in and made herself comfortable on the couch in the living room. The second entered more quietly and remained standing even when Shikami offered her one of the other seats.

"We're sorry to barge in on you like this," the one holding the pig began.

"Who are you?" Shikami asked, finding his voice.

The first lady's mouth twitched, as though she found the question amusing, but it was the second lady that answered.

"Forgive us. My name is Shizune, and this is Tonton." The pig oinked for effect. "And that's Lady Tsunade," Shizune finished.

"You're here about my mom?" Shikami then prompted. "She's not home right now."

Tsunade grunted. "Of course not. If she were, _we_ wouldn't have to be here."

Shikami scowled, not liking the way she said that. "So why _are_ you here?"

"Shikami, you know why your mother left, right? I mean, she told you she was leaving for some missions?" Shizune asked kindly.

Yes to the first question, or at least partly. But Shikami answered the second and let them think he was answering both. "No."

Tsunade's eyebrows knit together and she gave a puzzled frown, leaning forward. "She didn't tell you anything?"

Shikami wished they would just get to the point. He shook his head.

Lady Tsunade sighed. She placed her elbows on her knees and folded her hands together in front of her face so that basically, only her eyes were visible. "Your mother was a valued ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves – a jonin of Konohagakure, before your father died. Immediately after you were born, she left under the excuse that she couldn't leave you parentless. When Ino and Choji visited about two weeks ago, they had come to take your mother back again, as we were short on ninja after an unfortunate war with our neighbors. We needed – or need, still – everyone we could get."

"My mom," Shikami supplied, fighting anger that had suddenly boiled up inside him. "You're putting her in danger again, making her go back to the life she didn't want anything to do with again."

Tsunade's eyes flashed with irritation. "No one forced her to go back, you little brat. She was fully aware of the risks, and she _chose_ to go back."

Tonton's ears were down and she gave another unhappy oink.

"So why are you here, if you've already gotten my mom back?" Shikami demanded.

Shizune wouldn't look at him. Tsunade said nothing, but she continued to fix her gaze on him, waiting for him to come to his own conclusion. Shikami stubbornly stared back at her, refusing to think the worst.

"Shikami, your mom died on her last mission," Shizune said softly. "She was captured by enemy ninja, and her squad couldn't save her before it was too late. They had to finish the mission themselves and come back without her."

"No." Shikami gritted his teeth. "I don't believe you. She promised she would come back."

"No ninja can make promises like that and expect to keep them," Tsunade told him sternly. "It may work out sometimes, but there are times things go wrong, and this was one of them."

"Prove it," Shikami insisted. She wasn't dead. And he wasn't in denial, either. His mom just hadn't died.

"I don't need to prove anything to you," Tsunade began, eyes narrowing, but Shizune interrupted her.

"Shikami, I'm really sorry we have to deliver such bad news, but you have no choice but to accept it."

"Oink," Tonton agreed sadly.

"Come back to the village with us," Shizune urged. "Kaida said that should anything happen to her, she wanted you raised by her best friend. And this best friend also happens to be an eyewitness, a member of your mom's squad, who can give you as much proof as anyone."

Shikami looked away from the women and stared at a picture of him and his mom. It had been taken about two years ago, when Shikami was ten or eleven.

There was no way she was gone, just like that. And to be able to prove it, he needed to get as close to the source as he could. He looked back defiantly, at Lady Tsunade pointedly, to show her he wasn't fazed by the news.

"I'll go back with you on one condition: You train me to become a ninja."

Tsunade smirked. "Deal, kid, so long as you don't expect me to be the one doing the actual training. I've got too many other things to do to waste time on you. But we'll find you a teacher." Her eyes gleamed in a way Shikami wasn't sure he liked.

* * *

Shizune and Tsunade gave Shikami about an hour to pack everything he needed – or wanted, since he might not (or probably not, the way they put it) be coming back.

So Shikami packed a few of his necessary belongings, certain that he would be returning eventually with his mom. He also grabbed the pictures, sleeveband (or whatever the headband on his dad's sleeve was to be called), and old shuriken from his mom's desk drawers – not because he needed them for anything, but because he wanted them.

Then he stopped by Ethan's house and explained everything – _everything_ – to his friend, on the promise he wouldn't tell anyone else.

"They said she's dead, but they're wrong," Shikami said.

Ethan's eyes were wide, but he seemed to believe what Shikami had told him. "You look pretty motivated, man," he commented. Shikami gave him a look and he just shrugged. "What? It's a compliment. Could I go with you?"

Shikami shook his head. "I doubt it. Your parents probably wouldn't agree to it, and neither would the cranky old lady who's taking me to 'Konoha'."

"I though you said she looked like she was in her twenties," Ethan said, raising an eyebrow.

This time it was Shikami's turn to shrug. "The way she acts you'd like she was a crabby old grandma."

At the end of Shikami's deadline, Ethan said, "I'll be rooting for you, Shikami. Go bust some heads bedtime-tale-style."

Shikami rolled his eyes. "You seem to be having an easier time believing it all than me. I suppose you think those crazy powers they've got, jutsu, are real, too?"

"If part of it's true, what's to stop the rest from being true, too?"

Shikami sighed. "Whatever you say. See you in a while, Ethan."

"Come back alive!" Ethan replied cheerfully.

"I'll do better. I'll come back alive with at least one living parent," Shikami called, jogging off to meet Shizune, Tonton, and Tsunade back at his own house so they could set off.

**

* * *

**

Shall I do the 'dun dun dun duuuun' thing again? xD

**Finally, we get to go to Konoha! 'Tis ninja time. x3**

***pokes below review button* Clcik that and leave a review before you go. xD**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ooo, a longer chapter! 83 Mwahahaha~! xD**

**Anyways, here's an extra disclaimer - I don't own Kyra, Rue, or Shin; they are Neji and TenTen 4ever's OCs, and very fun to play with. xD Please let me know if I'm out of character with any of them, Taylor! n_n**

**Also, I know little to nothing about Shippuden; so if you see any details here that kinda contradict that series, that's why, and I apologize. =/**

* * *

When Shikami entered into the Hidden Leaf Village with Shizune, Tonton, and Lady Tsunade at sunset, he tried not to stare.

To some extent, the village looked perfectly normal. But he saw at least a couple dozen people wearing ninja headbands, and probably more if he tried to count them all. The symbol of Konoha, the leaf that was on each headband, was also displayed in hundreds of different places.

And up on a cliff, faces had been carved. It looked like four men, a woman, and another man. Shikami was suddenly startled to realize that the woman's face looked a lot like Tsunade.

The streets were mildly crowded, people hurrying off in all different directions. Shops and restaurants and houses looked crowded together as though the people didn't have much room for everything.

Overall, Shikami's first impression was that he was overwhelmed. He hoped no one expected him to navigate this place on his own anytime soon.

But the longer he studied it as he walked through, trying to keep up with Tsunade's fast pace (after an entire day of almost nonstop walking, no less), the more he realized that it did actually seem to be laid out in a sort of system. He couldn't decipher it right then, but since he would probably be staying a while, that wasn't such a big deal.

Then Shikami noticed that some people seemed to be staring at his group and whispering. A few of them Shikami could've sworn were looking at him especially. He ignored them.

"Oh, Lady Tsunade, welcome back!" The speaker seemed to be some kind of guard outside a building.

"Thank you. Now, please excuse us. We need to speak with the Hokage," Tsunade told him.

"Right away, ma'am," the guard nodded, stepping aside so the group could enter.

Hokage. The village's leader. Shikami wondered what he would be like. He had imagined him as an older man (but not too old, because he was the strongest ninja in the village and needed to be able to defend that position) that was wise and stoic and other stuff a great leader needed to be.

Shizune opened a door for them that presumably led to the Hokage's office. Tsunade stepped through and Shizune nudged Shikami inside as well before stepping in herself.

The person sitting behind the desk at the end of the room look to be about in his thirties. He had blond hair and blue eyes, though both were much different from Ino's, who had also fallen under that description. His face held a playful and slightly immature look, but if Shikami looked past the surface, he could see pain and even wisdom that wasn't visible at first glance.

Overall, he wasn't exactly what Shikami had expected. But then again, Shikami had never expected a Hokage to be real.

There was another person in the room, too. She was about the same age as the Hokage, and she looked familiar for some reason. Shikami shifted his large and heavy backpack, trying to remember.

Oh, of course. This woman was the same girl as the one in the picture with Shikami's mother. They had been teammates long ago. And perhaps not so long ago, as well.

"Grandma Tsunade, it's about time!" the Hokage beamed. _Grandma?_

Tsunade sighed. "Oh, zip it, Naruto. We can't exactly set a fast pace with a kid who's had no traveling experience whatsoever."

Shikami stared at his feet and tried to keep his face cleared of emotion. Either Tsunade enjoyed trying to annoy him every chance she got, or she was just commenting and Shikami heard it the wrong way.

"Shikami," Naruto said. "That's your name, right?"

Shikami glanced up. "Yes, sir."

Naruto grinned and gestured to the lady who had been on Shikami's mom's team. "This is Kyra, your mom's best friend and teammate. She'll be looking after you for... for as long as necessary."

Shikami ignored the possibility that Naruto had been about to say 'forever', and he looked over at the woman again. Kyra smiled and stepped forward. Now that she was closer, Shikami noted that she looked tired, as though she hadn't been sleeping well lately.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Shikami," she said. "Please, follow me. I'll take you to my home and show you where you'll be staying."

Shikami followed her out of the room in silence. The door closed to Lady Tsunade saying something to Naruto about arranging the right sensei.

He was itching with impatience to ask Kyra for every detail of what had happened to his mom on the last mission, but he forced himself to wait. Right then didn't seem like the best time.

The walk to Kyra's home was made in silence. More than once Kyra seemed about to say something and then change her mind, and Shikami decided not to comment on it.

Finally, they reached Kyra's house. When Shikami entered, the atmosphere immediately told him it was a comfortable home.

There were more pictures than Shikami could count hanging around the house; and though they were all extremely well-done, something told Shikami they hadn't been purchased pieces.

_Someone in the house must be an artist,_ Shikami thought.

There were some toys scattered here and there throughout the house, or at least the parts Shikami could see as Kyra led him through. The smell of homemade food lingered in the air, as though they had finished eating not too long ago.

Kyra opened the door to what was assumedly a guest room. "I'll let you get settled in," she said. "Then you can run all over the house and even the village if you feel like it," she added, laughing lightly. "I have two children you might like to get to know – a boy named Shin, and a girl called Rue. You'll probably hear from them before long."

Shikami nodded and waited until Kyra left before placing his heavy backpack on the bed, which was unusually lumpy.

"Ooph." A muffled grunt came from the bed. Shikami started in surprise and moved his backpack.

The blankets shifted and a boy's face became visible. He looked to be about eight years old. He had brown hair look looked goldish if the light struck it just right. He had black eyes. And he had a frown. "What is _in_ that thing?" he complained.

"Clothes and pictures, mostly," Shikami answered, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you?" He was pretty certain of the answer already, but he asked anyways.

"You must have some pretty heavy clothes," the boy said, crawling out of the bed to stand in front of Shikami. His frown then melted away and he grinned and stuck out his hand. "I'm Shin! Hey, you look kind of like Shikaku, only not as old. And you don't have the funny marks on your face." Then he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "_Are_ you him? Did you invent a time-changing jutsu? Will you teach it to me?"

The kid didn't give Shikami much chance to reply to any of what he said, the questions and observations coming one right after the other. When he finally paused, apparently expecting an answer that time, Shikami decided to try and answer everything he'd said, if it was possible.

"Um, I don't think they're very heavy. No, my name is Shikami. I don't know any jutsu, and I'm definitely no teacher," Shikami responded. Shin had removed his hand to tap his face wonderingly before Shikami could shake it.

"What about the basic ones?" a voice from the doorway asked.

Shikami turned to find a girl about ten years old studying him. She had green eyes like Kyra, and black hair that pretty much hung in her face, although there seemed to have been a small attempt to pull some of it back.

"I'm sorry?" Shikami asked.

"Jutsu. Like clone jutsu and transformation? You know, the basic stuff they teach you in the ninja academy," she explained.

Shikami shook his head. "I didn't go to the academy. I didn't even know ninja existed until a couple weeks ago."

The girl frowned, and she looked like she was considering calling him a liar, or otherwise thinking hard. But then she shrugged and held out her hand. "My name is Rue. You're Mom's friend's son Shikami?"

"Yeah, I guess," Shikami said, shaking her hand.

"You're weird," Shin announced. Shikami turned to see him going through his bag. The boy held up the headband that had belonged to Shikami's dad. "If you're not a ninja, why do you have this?"

"Shin," Rue scolded. "Stay out of his things."

Shin pouted and put the headband back.

Shikami managed a grin. "It's fine. That was my dad's, I think."

"You think?" Rue echoed.

And so Shikami spent the better part of an hour explaining the little he knew. Shin kept interrupting with his own comments, which was basically why it took so long. Rue mostly just listened, breaking her silence every so often to correct her brother if he said or did anything rude without meaning to.

"Then Lady Tsunade and Shizune came to my house and said my mom was dead, and that I would probably be living here from now on," Shikami finished.

Rue's expression was thoughtful as she held her brother's hands behind his back, a position the two had taken halfway through to keep Shin from continuously digging through Shikami's things and other stuff around the room. Shin had given up struggling, but he still didn't look very happy about it.

"Well, for starters," Rue began, "ninja do really know jutsu. Mom makes water move, and Dad turns some of his drawings to life. I've heard that Lord Hokage can make solid clones, not just the illusions they teach in the academy. And lots of other stuff, too. My guess would be that the stories your mom told are completely true."

Shikami sighed. "So it would seem. Thanks, I guess."

**

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So how'd I do with your OCs, Taylor? =3

**Hm, I'm thinking that for next chapter, we'll find out what happened to Kaida... But, then again, it may not work out until the chapter after, or even longer if I feel it needs to be pushed back that far... xD;**

***grabs uber-coolish microphone* And now, ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please! It's that time this morning, or afternoon, or evening or night (depending on when you're reading this xD), where I say... *dramatic drumroll* REVIEW! 8D**


	10. Chapter 10

**And this chapter has another of Taylor's OCs, Haru! Again, let me know if I'm OOC at all with any of your characters so I can correct it! ^_^**

**Enjoy the chapter, peoplez! ;D**

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The next morning, Shikami woke up to a light, annoying, bouncing sensation.

"Are you awake yet? Please tell me you're awake!" a voice urgently whispered.

Shikami sat up and tried to make his eyes focus. After giving them a good rub, he saw Shin sitting on the end of his bed, bouncing up and down.

Shin beamed. "You're awake!"

"Am now," Shikami muttered, stretching.

Shin made a face. "Rue left for school already, Uncle Haru hasn't come yet, and Daddy is still on his mission, even though Mommy says he'll be back soon. Mommy also said I had to be quiet while you were still sleeping, so I only whispered to make sure you weren't faking being asleep, like I do sometimes so I can sneak into the kitchen at night for candy." He suddenly clamped his hand over his mouth, realizing he probably shouldn't have said that. "You won't tell, will you?" he pleaded.

"Not a word," Shikami mumbled, still half asleep.

"Awesome!" Shin grinned, then he reached out and grabbed Shikami's hand. "Come on, Mommy made breakfast!"

So Shikami was pulled out of the warm bed and into the kitchen. "He's awake!" Shin announced loudly to Kyra when the woman came into view.

She looked tired today again, and her eyes were slightly red, but she looked mostly okay otherwise.

"Shin," Kyra chided. "You didn't wake him up, did you?"

Shin stuck out his bottom lip. "No, I only asked him if he was awake, and he sat up and said he was."

Kyra just sighed and shook her head. "Sorry about that, Shikami. It won't happen again," she said, adding the last part more to Shin than Shikami.

Minutes later, Shikami was enjoying a warm breakfast next to Shin, who apparently was having his second breakfast.

Then a little while after breakfast, a man who looked a bit like Kyra entered the house. He also looked older now than in the picture, but Shikami recognized him as his mother's sensei. And though at first nothing seemed wrong, Shikami noticed that the man moved a bit awkwardly. Shikami couldn't decide what was wrong to make him that way, and he gave it up after a moment, not wanting to stare.

"Morning, Nii-san," Kyra greeted him cheerfully.

Oh, no wonder the two looked alike. Kyra apparently had had her older brother for a sensei.

"Same to you, Imouto," the man said affectionately, ruffling her hair. Shin grinned broadly and hurried over to his uncle, who tossed him into the air once, much to Shin's delight. Then he looked over at Shikami and smiled, offering his hand.

"My name is Haru, and you must be Shikami," he said. Shikami nodded wordlessly and shook his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you. I was your mother's sensei decades ago."

Shikami debated between saying "I know" or looking surprised, but all he said was, "Nice to meet you, too."

"I have a message for you," Haru continued.

At that, Shikami did actually give him a surprised look. "Me?"

He grinned. "Unless you know another Shikami Nara who happens to be living with my sister. Yes, you. Apparently, Lady Tsunade promised that a sensei could be arranged for you."

Shikami nodded. "And you're going to be my sensei?" he guessed.

"Unfortunately, no," Haru said, looking slightly disappointed. "I had to retire as a ninja a while back because of an injury that would never heal completely. Your teacher will be someone more suited for you personally. Your grandfather, Shikaku Nara, has agreed to train you."

Shikami's eyes widened. He had read the name in the newspaper clipping from his mom's desk drawer and guessed that he was related to him. And come to think of it, Shin had also mentioned him just yesterday. But now that he was about to actually meet him and train under him, it registered with Shikami in a whole new way that he had family – actual living relatives – besides his mom.

"When..." Shikami's voice was too low. He cleared his throat and continued in a stronger tone, "When do I go meet him, and where?"

"Whenever you're ready, and at his home in the Nara clan's area of Konoha," Haru answered. "I can take you there when you're ready to go."

"I'm ready now," Shikami said. Most of the sleepiness of earlier that morning had vanished, and Shikami was more than ready to begin learning how to become a ninja just like his parents.

Before stepping outside with Haru, Shikami hesitated and glanced back at Kyra. He needed to know what had happened to his mom on her last mission if he was to have any clues as to where to start looking for her. Then again, he would probably be no help to her against something that had been enough to defeat a jonin unless he had at least _some_ skill as a ninja.

Kyra noticed him looking at her. She couldn't possibly have been able to tell what he was thinking, but she smiled (which almost seemed somewhat forced) and gave him an encouraging nod.

Shikami attempted a smile in return; then he turned and left with her brother.

* * *

About an hour and a half later, Shikami was in the middle of a clearing with his grandpa.

The visit to his house had been less than what Shikami had expected. His grandma seemed kind of scary and bossy and tough. Her name was Yoshino Nara, and apparently, she was a chunin-ranked ninja in Konoha.

She had, however, expressed joy in finally meeting her grandson, which had to count for something. She had also nearly crushed him in a hug, as Ino had only a few weeks previous.

And Shikaku, a jonin-ranked ninja with a couple scars on his face (presumably the 'funny marks' Shin had mentioned the other day), was even harder to read. Shikami couldn't tell how he felt towards finally meeting his grandson, and he also wasn't sure if Shikaku actually wanted to train him or not. Perhaps he had just been complaining to be complaining, and he didn't actually mean it.

It would take some serious getting used to for Shikami to be able to comfortably call them 'Grandma' and 'Grandpa', or whichever version of each they wished to be called.

And then Haru had left and Shikaku had taken Shikami out to the clearing in the woods that he now stood in. There were three thick wooden posts in the middle of the clearing, but it was otherwise bare.

"Shikami," Shikaku said, leaning back against the middle post and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Yes, sir?"

"Tell me what all you know so far about ninja."

Shikami thought for a moment, gathering memories of different bedtime stories, then said, "You use weapons like senbon needles, kunai knives, shuriken, swords, and others. You also use just ordinary attacks like punching and kicking. You can cast illusions. You can heal. And you can use different jutsu to give you special powers. You also go on missions sometimes."

Shikaku sighed. "We've got a long ways to go."

Shikami bit his tongue and remained respectfully quiet.

Shikaku studied him for a moment before speaking again. "Let's begin at the immediate beginning, shall we? Chakra. It's the resulting form of energy produced when physical and spiritual energies are mixed together within the body. Hand seals are performed to allow the user to build up their chakra and use it, expelling it in the form of an attack. Different hand signs produce different jutsu. Everyone has chakra inside them, flowing through their veins similar to blood, but separate. The basic key is learning to control it."

Shikami tried to absorb what Shikaku was telling him. The ninja went on to describe ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. Shikami's head swam with all the information he was expected to learn. This was nothing like chess. (Well, real battles might have something like the same general idea as strategy games, but that was beside the immediate point.)

For hours, they simply talked back and forth. Shikaku pressed Shikami to say back to him everything he had just heard, and when Shikami could remember very little of it, especially word for word, Shikaku repeated it. They went on this way until lunchtime, when Shikami finally had the entire general idea down.

Why they had come out all this way just to talk was beyond Shikami.

They had lunch there in the clearing, Yoshino having packed it for them before they left. Then, after lunch, Shikaku announced that for the rest of the day (or until Shikami collapsed from exhaustion, as Shikaku not-so-subtly added), Shikami would be learning taijutsu and how to use different weapons correctly and so forth.

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*sigh* We didn't get to hear about Kaida's last mission. *getting impatient* lolz Here's hoping that it'll work its way into the next chapter, but I'll try not to rush it. xD

**Be sure to leave a review and let me know whatcha think! ^_^~**


	11. Chapter 11

**YAY, we finally get to hear Kyra tell her story! 8D**

**lolz This chapter also contains Taylor's (Neji and TenTen 4ever's) final OC in Naruto - Hotori.**

**Haha, anyways, enjoy, and be sure to tell me what you think! xD**

* * *

Shikami smothered a groan. He had never in his life been so exhausted.

He had spent the last three hours and fifty-eight minutes throwing kunai that would rarely fly straight for him, attacking a man he could never come close to touching, focusing on chakra he had never before known he had inside him, getting kicked around the clearing in the woods by a man that apparently wasn't as old as he seemed, and being yelled at for making amateur mistakes when he was barely experienced enough to be called a beginner.

It seemed that Shikaku had crammed into one day what was an entire year's worth of knowledge at the ninja academy that Rue was attending. It was such a huge drag.

And now, back at Kyra's house, he couldn't relax. He was sore all over.

Kyra looked down at him sympathetically where he lay on the couch, having lacked the energy (physical and mental motivation) to make it to the guest room.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do for you," she said. "Starting tomorrow, I'll be leaving on another mission, but Sai will probably be staying for a couple more days before he gets assigned another one away from the village. But Haru will be looking after you, Rue, and Shin while Sai and/or I are gone."

Shikami had only briefly been introduced to Kyra's husband after Shikami got back and before he collapsed on the couch. The man had extremely pale skin, black hair, and ink-black eyes, and he was the artist whose work was displayed all over the house (although both he and Kyra had also said something about Rue's sketches being displayed as well).

"I do actually have a request," Shikami sighed.

Kyra waited.

"I want you to tell me what happened to my mom on her last mission." It was now or very, very much later, if she was going on another mission soon.

Kyra hesitated. "Shikami..."

"Please."

Kyra bit her lip, then sat down in a chair nearby. Shikami tried to ignore the pain as he hoisted himself up a bit into a half-sitting, half-reclining position so he could watch her as she spoke. Sai had been drawing over at the table, but he put his brush down and came to stand by Kyra, placing a hand comfortingly on her shoulder. She reached up and squeezed it affectionately.

"I hardly even know where to start," Kyra said. "I guess I'll begin by describing the mission."

_~Flashback~_

Naruto spread out a map of the Fire Country on his desk in the Hokage's office, facing it towards the team in front of him – Kyra, Kaida, and Hotori.

Naruto pointed to a dot on the map. "This village, Keilah, is where your mission is. They've been attacked by a certain group of thieves for about as long as anyone can remember, but it's been getting out of hand lately: at least one raid each week. Grandma Tsunade's third cousin's grandson moved there from Konoha last year for a change of scenery. Being only one person (and not a ninja, at that), he couldn't fend off any of them. So he's asked for us to send a team to deal with them. Your job is to do whatever necessary to stop them, while still of course being discreet about your jutsu, as always."

Kyra and Kaida nodded, while Hotori made sure Naruto saw his yawn.

"It's a B-ranked mission, but it might bump up into an A-ranked one if things get out of hand," Naruto added, glaring Hotori's way. "We have reason to believe some of these thieves may have some ninja techniques, so be on your guard. Now, go!"

"Right," all three replied, exiting with all the swiftness of the jonin they were.

It was a two-day journey, so after a full day of jumping quickly from tree to tree, the trio set up camp.

"It doesn't look like there's going to be a moon tonight," Kyra observed.

"Let's gather up some sticks to make a fire for light, then," Kaida suggested. "So we won't have to turn in before we're tired."

"You mean I have to work after running all day?" Hotori complained.

It wasn't the worst complaint he'd ever used (in fact, it was probably one of his most pathetic attempts), but basically anytime he opened his mouth was enough to aggravate the girls. Kyra rolled her eyes at him.

Kaida sighed dramatically. "Yes, Hotori, after a very long day of grueling, back-breaking tree-leaping, we seriously do expect you to make the terrible effort to bend over to reach sticks on the forest floor," she said, her voice dripping with sarcastic sympathy. Kyra put her hand up to her mouth to try and hide her grin, but she soon burst into muffled giggles.

Hotori rolled his eyes. "Ha ha," he said, beginning to gather firewood.

The darkness fell quickly, but the squad sat comfortably around the fire, enjoying the warmth and light it offered. And instead of getting sleepier, the three just seemed to wake up even more.

Gradually, however, they began to run out of fuel for the fire.

"Looks like it'll die pretty soon," Hotori commented, feeding the fire the last of the wood they'd gathered.

Kaida stood, grinning still from having laughed so hard just a few minutes before. "I'll go gather more."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kyra asked, her own smile melting into a worried frown. "It's pretty dark out. There's no telling what's out there. During the day, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem, but at night..." She trailed off when Kaida didn't seem to be anywhere close to changing her mind.

"I'll be fine, Kyra, really," Kaida grinned. The firelight flickered, making her face seem to flicker eerily.

"Unless you get attacked by ghosts," Hotori added sacastically. The girls ignored him (years of experience having taught them how to on occasion), and Kaida left the immediate safety that the light of the fire promised.

Kyra waited five minutes, ten. She shifted restlessly as fifteen minutes ticked by. "Do you think it should be taking this long?"

"Yes," Hotori answered with a slight snort. "You're just impatient because you're waiting around; it probably hasn't seemed like very long to Kaida."

So Kyra forced herself to wait another fifteen minutes. But by the time Kaida had been gone for a little more than half an hour, Kyra stood. "I'm going after her. It shouldn't take this long to gather firewood."

"So you'll just get lost, too?" Hotori remarked.

Kyra scowled at him. "If you think I'm just going to sit around while my best friend..."

"Okay, okay; jeez," Hotori grumbled.

Kyra picked up a burning stick from the dying fire and used it to light her way as she set off in search of her teammate.

Maybe she _was_ just worrying for nothing. Even if Kaida got lost, she would be smart enough to just find a good place to sit tight until dawn, when she would be able to find her way back more easily.

"Oh!" Kyra gasped, finding kunai knives embedded deeply into a tree trunk.

She looked around the area further and saw little else but a small pile of sticks, until she returned to the tree with the kunai. Below them was an arrow carved into the trunk.

She returned to the fire with the small bundle of fire fuel.

Hotori frowned in annoyance. "Judging by your face, you think something worse than getting lost happened. Just great."

"Save it, Hotori. Light the end of one of these sticks, stomp out the fire, and let's go," Kyra said, handing him a few sticks from the pile. "I'll explain on the way. We've got a teammate to find, and it can't wait until morning."

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And I think that's a sufficient stopping point. ;D The last of it will be in the next chapter! ^^

Also, this flashback is probably more detailed than what Kyra is telling Shikami, as far as facial expressions, direct quotes, and stuff like that. But the big picture is still the same. =3

**Forgive my very little use of Sai, but as I said earlier, I don't know much about Shippuden at all. And as always, Taylor, lemme know how I did portraying your characters! And Sai, too. As little as he does, I still want him to be in character. xD**

***pokes all chu readers* And before you go, be sure to leave a review! I seriously love hearing what people think of my story/chapters/whateverthewordishere. xDD**

**AND! HAPPY NEW YEAR, PEOPLEZ! 8DD**


	12. Chapter 12

**And cue part two of the flashback! ;3**

* * *

It took a while in the dark, but there were enough obvious signs to keep Kyra and Hotori walking through the night at a steady pace.

Kaida must have run into something important and, not having time to call out to her two teammates, left an easy trail for them to follow, Kyra decided.

Of course, it didn't help any when Hotori pointed out the possibility that someone had captured Kaida and left the easy trail to lure the other two into a trap. Kyra didn't want to accept that, though she knew any ninja would have to be prepared in case it _was_ a trap.

A very large building came into view a couple hours later. All the previous signs led to inside that building. Kyra and Hotori put out their fires and crouched behind some bushes, a few lights from the building slightly illuminating the outside as well, even though it was past midnight.

"This is not good," Hotori muttered. "This is way out of our way to our mission."

"Our mission will be accomplished more easily with a full squad," Kyra hissed in return. She was not going to just leave Kaida, and that was final.

Even in the dark, Kyra could have sworn she saw Hotori roll his eyes. "Fine. Do we have any kind of detailed plan, or do we just run in, bust some heads, get Kaida, and run out? I have to say I like the second better, actually."

Kyra thought for a moment. "Stealth," she decided. "We get in, find Kaida, and get back out. No getting seen by the enemy at all."

And so minutes later, the two were crawling on hands and knees in the shadows along the border of the building, searching for a way in. They eventually came to a window in which there was no light shining. Hotori pried it open and he and Kyra slipped inside.

They crept around the building, sticking to shadows. They only ducked into lighted areas a couple times to search a different part of the building, and they always went back into the shadowed areas before long.

Then, as they entered another section of the building, Kyra stopped so suddenly that Hotori nearly ran into her.

"What?" he whispered.

Kyra shook her head mutely and pointed.

Up ahead, visible in flickering candlelight, was a woman. She was lying motionless on the floor in a pool of blood. She was severely wounded in several places, but the worst one was a long gash along her side. Kyra supplied details that weren't clearly visible in the dim light: her hair would be red, her eyes would be a hazel green, and the symbol in the headband she wore would be a leaf.

Kaida.

"No!" Kyra gasped, forgetting to keep her voice to a whisper. Before Hotori could stop her, she rushed forward to kneel beside her best friend and teammate.

But then before she could reach her something blocked her path – or rather, some_one_. He let out a short, cold laugh that sent chills up and down Kyra's spine.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," he said, sounding pleased.

"What have you done to her?" Kyra asked, trying to stop the trembling that was spreading throughout her body. She wasn't sure whether it was fear or rage, or both.

She was vaguely aware that Hotori had come up beside her.

"I?" the man said. "Nothing. But my friends... Well, they like to play rough sometimes, and controlling them is often such a difficult task. It's really a shame about your friend. She was so beautiful, and it seemed her wedding ring she wore was one from a man already passed on. It would have been nicer all around if she'd lived."

"What's what this was all about?" Hotori demanded when Kyra lost her voice again from anger. "You captured our teammate because you thought she would make a nice addition to your little home here, and then you just kill her?"

The man snapped his fingers, and instantly, the room was filled with people with greedy expressions, as though they couldn't wait to tear into their new prey. They wore ninja headbands, but Kyra couldn't make out what symbol was on it.

"That pretty much sums it up," the man said. "The two of you, however, mean nothing to me. Shall I have my friends escort you to the door, or to the afterlife?"

"She could still be alive," Kyra muttered desperately, her low voice making sure none but Hotori heard her. "She looks badly hurt, but maybe she's still alive. We have to get to her and get medical help for her."

Hotori didn't seem to acknowledge her words, but both pulled out weapons at about the same time. The man laughed again, and, with a quick sign from him, the dozens of ninja attacked.

Kyra and Hotori definitely weren't very good friends, if at all, but years of being on the same squad had taught them how to work together in battle. During this particular battle, Kyra fought her way straight towards Kaida, and Hotori backed her up.

Kyra made a few quick handsigns and water came out of nowhere. She controlled it with swift movements of her hands and drowned a few ninja where they stood, knocking a couple others out of her way.

She made it to Kaida, but she only had enough time to register that up close her wounds seemed even worse before Kyra was attacked by another ninja. Fist met face in a good old-fashioned punch from Kyra, and she sent her water towards the person to finish the job.

After she made sure Hotori was still going strong, she knelt beside Kaida and felt desperately for a pulse.

...Nothing. Not even an extremely weak one.

Kyra searched desperately for another way to keep hoping.

Genjutsu. Maybe this was just an illusion.

She had to struggle for a while with another ninja before she could try it, but she managed to get another breathing space. She made a handsign to focus her chakra. "Release!"

Again, nothing.

Tears blurred her vision, but she managed to fend off another couple of shinobi attacks. She scrubbed furiously at her eyes, wiping away the wetness, and rejoined Hotori. He glanced at her, then, in one swift movement, heaved away the ninja he'd been struggling with.

"Are you crying?" he asked.

"No," Kyra replied, glaring, though not necessarily at Hotori. "Some water from my jutsu just splashed on my face, is all." A shinobi must never show her tears. It was a sign of weakness. At least for the duration of the mission, Kyra would keep them bottled up. Sai would let her cry on his shoulder when she got back to Konoha.

Hotori didn't respond, which was unlike him. Then again, maybe it was just because he had his hands full with another ninja that attacked him.

"Kaida's dead, and it's not genjutsu," Kyra told him, trying to keep her voice steady. "We need to get out of here and complete our mission."

Hotori nodded, then grunted and yanked a knife from his arm that hadn't been there a moment ago. "I hate to run away," he grumbled, giving the enemy a glare.

"Tactical retreat," Kyra corrected, even though she sort of felt the same way.

It was how Kaida would have felt, too.

Kyra shook it off, though, and made herself think of other things.

Then she glanced back at her friend. She wanted to take the body with to give it a decent burial, but it would only slow them down as they fled the scene. With one last, long, sad look, she followed Hotori towards an exit.

_~End Flashback~_

"Hotori and I finished the mission with little hassle," Kyra said. "None of the thieves were ninja, so we were able to start back home almost immediately."

Hotori must be the final person in the photo of Shikami's mom's team, Shikami decided. Only aged now, of course.

It hadn't been the mission they were sent on that had killed his mom. The mission itself had actually had little to nothing to do with the entire story.

Shikami stared up at the ceiling, the room seeming eerily quiet now that the story had stopped. Rue and Shin had appeared in the living room about halfway through, and they sat in silence as well.

Kyra had not easily believed that her teammate was gone, but if even she was convinced that Shikami's mom had died, he shouldn't question it.

And yet he did. He still didn't believe that his mom had died, no matter that an eyewitness had confirmed both that her heart was no longer beating and that it hadn't been an illusion jutsu.

"Where was this place that you found her?" Shikami asked.

Kyra's eyes widened. "Shikami, no."

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Don't give me that; you're not a very good liar," Kyra replied sternly. "You are _not_, under any circumstances, to try and find this place. You can't even leave the village without the Hokage assigning a mission, which won't be for a while, since you're not even a ninja now. But do not even _think_ about it, understand?"

Shikami bit his lip, which was a bad move, because it just made yet another place on his body ache. "Yeah," he finally responded.

Kyra's look softened. "I'm really, really sorry about this, Shikami. But for as long as you want, you'll always have a home here."

**

* * *

**

Y'know, I actually have how this happened pretty planned out from Kaida's PoV... Only problem is she's not exactly accessible to tell it... :/

**Maybe I'll make up a seperate oneshot about it later. Anyways...**

**Taylor, just take it for granted from here on out that anytime your OCs and Sai make an appearance, you're to tell me how I did portraying them. xD**

**And, once more, peoplez, be sure to leave a review for meh! xP**


	13. Chapter 13

**Okies, so this chapter is shorter and mostly talking, but it was pretty interesting for me to write, and I hope you enjoy it, too. :P**

**Also, if you pay attention, you can tell a few more ninja from Naruto that I've paired up in this story. xD**

* * *

"Um..."

Shikaku looked over at Shikami. "You say something?"

Shikami nodded and shifted his position. He and Shikaku had gone over a ton of ninja stuff for his brain that morning again (kekkei genkai, show no emotion, show no mercy to enemies, etc.), and now during lunch, before he got worked to the bone again for his second training session, he had some things he wanted to ask.

"I have a couple questions," he said.

"I have a couple answers," Shikaku responded, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, first, should I call you Grandpa or Sensei?" Shikami asked.

The corners of Shikaku's mouth twitched as though he was trying not to smile. "How about either one, depending on the situation or why you're grabbing my attention or whatever," he suggested.

Shikami nodded again. "Shikaku-sensei, can a ninja fake death, or fake another person's death, without using genjutsu?"

"Fake death? What brought..." Shikaku paused, then scowled. "Shikami, your parents aren't coming back. You have to accept that, kid. Death is an occupational hazard for ninja."

Shikami swallowed the last of his lunch and gave another nod. He'd have to find his answer some other way.

He never considered that there was another meaning to Shikaku's final statement, never considered walking away from the ninja life he'd started by getting Shikaku to train him.

Shikaku sighed. "Come on. This is going to be a drag, especially if you wind up throwing in the towel again before we're through, but let's get working again."

Shikami was still very sore from the day before, but he tried to work around it. Even still, after about three hours had passed, he felt as though he could barely move again.

* * *

That evening after supper, he sat still at the table, with Rue across from him, sketching in her notebook.

"What's it like at the ninja academy?" Shikami asked.

Rue glanced up from her drawing and considered him for a moment before beginning. "It's not like the normal schooling kids go through at home before starting at the academy, I can tell you that much for sure. Mostly, people start at the academy when they're about nine years old. (Shin will be starting next year.) And if they don't fail any years, they graduate when they're twelve and become a genin."

"Do you learn jutsu and stuff, or do you have to wait until after graduation?" Shikami asked.

"Other than clone jutsu and transformation, you mostly just learn book information," Rue said, shrugging. "They teach you _about_ jutsu, _about_ chakra control, _about_ being a ninja, but you get no real experience. If you learn other jutsu before graduating, it's because you come from a clan with a strong kekkei genkai or other trademark jutsu."

Kekkei genkai. Shikami tried to remember what Shikaku had told him about that just that morning. It was unique, a... A bloodline trait. You had to have just the right family history to be able to use it.

"One of my friends, Sora, comes from the Uchiha clan. She can't use their kekkei genkai, the Sharingan, yet, but her dad (Lord Hokage's best friend, I've heard) is trying to teach her his fire techniques. Her mom has also told her about what it takes to be a medical ninja, so she might even know some of those techniques by the time graduation rolls around."

"Sharingan?" Shikami asked.

Rue nodded and flipped her pencil around in between her fingers. "I've never actually seen it, but Sora says it's in the eyes, turns them red, and you can see stuff not visible to normal people. Like the Byakugan, though I've heard the Byakugan is even better."

"Great, now I have to ask what a Byakugan is."

Rue giggled. "Same thing, basically, only different. I'm just not sure how. It's in the Hyuga clan's bloodline. Another of my classmates, Misa, has it. Her eyes are beautiful, a really, really pale purple color. Her mom is teaching her how to use it just right, even though she thinks her dad wants to teach her other stuff, like partnering up with a dog. She says she thinks that once she has good control over her Byakugan, she'll get a dog and combine her parents' talents. I've also heard of a boy in another class at the academy whose dad is in the Hyuga clan, and I think his mom is Konoha's Weapons Mistress."

"Do you have any..." Shikami hesitated before saying the word, wanting to get it right. "Kekkei genkai?"

Rue shook her head. "Mom and Dad haven't taught me any jutsu yet, either. Actually, I'm not really sure if I want to use theirs, or if I want to come up with my own way. Although, I do like to draw, and Dad bringing his drawings to life in battle seems like something I'd like."

"I come from the Nara clan, apparently, and my mom's maiden name was Yukiten," Shikami told her. "Do you know if I would have any kekkei genkai?"

Rue thought from a moment. "I've never heard of a Yukiten clan, but the Naras... I think they specialize in manipulating shadows, and they've got a research lab out in the woods where a lot of deer are usually found. They make medicines and food pills and stuff there, I've heard, but I don't think they have any kekkei genkai."

Shadow manipulation. Shikami had half-known that already, based off of the story his mom had told once each year.

Someone knocked on the door, and Rue slid from her seat at the table to answer it.

From where he was sitting, Shikami had a good view of the door, so he got a good look at the caller.

He was about Shikami's age, with darkish brown hair and light brown eyes, and when he grinned, he showed a tooth that had been chipped in a childhood mishap.

"_Ethan?_" Shikami asked incredulously.

Ethan said something to Rue, then looked past her and flashed his grin at Shikami. "Yo."

**

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**

lolz I'm sorry, but I just couldn't leave Ethan out of the rest of the story until the very end, so here he is. xD

...I wonder what on earth happened to Kaida's parents and why I haven't brought them in yet... o_O' Shame on me, I guess. I'll see what I can do to cover that mistake up later in the story.

***sigh* My Christmas break is over now... Today, I hafta go to school. x/ I'll still do my best to add a chapter a day, though, so wish me luck! x3**

**And I hope you enjoyed that chapter, cuz now 'tis review time once more. xP**


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, so, um, this chapter didn't work out really the way I wanted it to... But I'll be quiet before I give anything away.**

**Many thanks to my dad for his help with ideas for this chapter; I was pretty much stuck in a couple major places! ;3**

* * *

"What... How... Why... I mean..." Shikami finally sighed and gave up trying to think which question would make priority. "How about you just explain first and I'll ask questions later?"

He and Ethan were walking around in Konoha's forest, Ethan having not wanted to stay still long enough to explain anything. Shikami was still extremely tired and sore from that afternoon, but he tried not to show it.

Ethan just grinned again. "Dude, this place is amazing."

Shikami gave him a look and Ethan rolled his eyes in defeat. "Okay, so why am I here? Well, why _wouldn't_ I be here? If you seriously thought I'd stay home and twiddle my thumbs while my friend has all the fun in a world where there are ninja that have wicked-cool super powers, you need to see a doctor. Have _you_ been taught any jutsu yet?"

"Ethan, I've only been here for a couple of days. Most kids go through years of training before learning any jutsu," Shikami explained. "And you may as well take me to a doctor now."

Well, now that Ethan had said that, Shikami realized he probably _should_ have been expecting it, but still.

Ethan laughed and shook his head.

"So how'd you find this place? And what about your parents?" Shikami wanted to know.

Ethan shrugged. "I just followed the path you took when you left our hometown. Whenever I came to a place where the road branched off, I asked people if they'd seen you and in which direction you were headed." He grinned again. "It wasn't easy, but I made it finally, as you can see. My parents don't know a thing; I didn't even tell them I was leaving."

Shikami replied with a simple, "Mmm."

Something seemed... off. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he kept an eye on the woods surrounding them, watching out for a threat.

Ethan picked up on Shikami's mood. Lowering his voice, he asked, "What's up?"

Shikami shook his head. "Just a weird feeling. So, did you come here just because you wanted to see the village, see me, or what?"

Ethan kicked a smallish rock that had been in his way and a slow grin spread across his face. "I'd like to become a ninja, too. Think you could pull some strings for me?" he asked, nudging Shikami.

Shikami quit walking and turned to study his friend. "Ethan."

"Yeah?"

Shikami stopped what he was about to say. It had been ridiculous anyways. Who had he been kidding? But he didn't stop himself from saying the second thing that was on his mind. "I can't."

Ethan's eyebrows knit together like he thought he had misheard. "What? Why not?"

Shikami hesitated and chose his words carefully. "I feel I have to become a ninja, to find my mom. It's the only way she won't be left for dead out there wherever she is. But you... I think it would be better if you..."

"Stayed normal, stayed weak, while you get stronger?" Ethan supplied, his confusion morphing into irritation, which was fast becoming anger.

"Ethan," Shikami warned. Maybe his first idea hadn't been actually ridiculous.

"No," Ethan said, cutting off whatever Shikami had been about to say. "I get it. You want to get stronger and leave me in the dust. I'm not good enough for you anymore, am I?"

Shikami scowled and looked more closely at Ethan, seeming to search with more than just his eyes. He tried to remember what he had been taught for the last two days, and he grasped at a fragment of a memory.

He closed his eyes and put his hands up in the typical motion of concentrating chakra, and focused his energy, trying to tap into his chakra. "Release!" he said when he felt something inside him react.

When he opened his eyes, the image of Ethan was fading. Shikami gaped at where his friend had been, or seemed to have been, only moments before, blinked hard, and rubbed his eyes. Still no Ethan.

Then, from behind Shikami, the sound of clapping came. He spun around to see his sensei applauding him.

"Nicely done, kid," Shikaku said, returning his hands to his sides. "I thought maybe it was too soon, but you sure handled that pretty well."

"You used genjutsu to make it seem like he was here," Shikami accused, still trying to absorb it. "How did you even know what he looked like and everything?"

Shikaku studied Shikami for a few seconds before answering. "I believe I covered this yesterday, though maybe I left out the second part I'm about to say now. To execute genjutsu, a ninja must send their own chakra into their opponent's mind, taking over the five senses. That also often gives the ninja casting the illusion access to the memories and immediate thoughts of their target."

Shikami thought about that for a moment. "But you got Ethan's personality a little wrong. I mean, for the most part, it was just like him and everything, but later..."

Shikaku nodded. "I'm not the best with genjutsu, but any halfway descent ninja, especially a jonin, knows how it works so they can combat it, and often they learn to use it themselves for some occasions. The flaws in your friend's personality were a result of my lack of intensive genjutsu use."

Shikami thought about that, then nodded. He would be lying to say that he wasn't mad about Shikaku's illusion-casting on him, just to test him, but he supposed he shouldn't argue with his sensei's teaching methods. Even if the test had come when Shikami still barely knew the basics.

Shikaku crossed his arms in front of his chest and frowned, sending warning signals to Shikami, though he wasn't sure what he had done wrong.

"You're training to become a ninja so you can find your mom?" Shikaku asked sternly.

Oops. Shikami stared at the forest floor and tried not to cringe at the reminder of what he had told the fake Ethan.

"Shikami, look at me."

Shikami hesitated, then raised his head and looked Shikaku in the eye, but he still said nothing.

Shikaku was still looking at him disapprovingly. But then what he said next surprised Shikami. "I'd be wasting my breath to tell you again that she's gone, and that there's nothing you can do about it, wouldn't I?"

"Yes, sir," Shikami said quietly.

Shikaku's expression lightened. "Then there's nothing _I_ can do about _that_. But don't think I'll support you in that crazy idea, or make anything to do with it easy for you. I'm training you to become a ninja, and what you do with what I teach you is your choice. However, you cannot leave Konoha without a mission, and that won't be for a long time. And even then, you will never get a mission telling you to search for her, and the odds are extremely thin that you'll ever get a mission in the area in which she died."

Shikami didn't reply. He'd learned his lesson that evening. Whether or not it was what Shikaku had intended for him to learn, he wasn't quite sure. But Shikami would not share ideas for finding his mom again. He was the only one who believed she was still alive, besides maybe Ethan, and Ethan would not be coming to assist him in any way.

Shikaku jerked his head in the general direction of Kyra's house. "Go home for now, kid. We'll have a lot to do tomorrow, too."

Shikami nodded and trudged off. He _would_ find his mom, alive.

**

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**

***sigh* This kinda had a bit of a depressing ending, didn't it? That was something I didn't plan; I don't really like how it turned out. And I really do actually need Ethan if I'm going to work out an idea I have for the future. I guess he'll just have to come in some other way... =/**

**Also, I know very little about genjutsu, so Shikaku's explanation may be a little off. I apologize if that's the case... ;/**

**But anyways, that's just my opinion on this chapter. What's yours? *pokes review button below***


	15. Chapter 15

**Because I was probably trying to make up for last chapter's unintentional depression, you'll probably find _good_ news in this chapter. x3 Enjoy!**

* * *

A week passed, and Shikami spent most of it training his mind and body. Shikaku continued to teach him the basics of being a ninja, through boring textbook information as well as through trial and error in training.

Each day, Shikami seemed to increase in endurance – or maybe Shikaku was just going increasingly easy on him, which was unlikely. And when he couldn't train his body any more from exhaustion, Shikami still wanted to do something that would help him. So, at his request, Shikaku played strategy games with him.

Shikami thought that he had gotten better since the man back home had taught him how to do better in strategy games, but Shikaku made him seriously question that. Shikami's grandfather was as ruthless in games like chess as he was in actual training, perhaps even more so. But though Shikami's losses piled up, he got closer each day to winning.

He also spent a lot of time talking with Rue, mostly learning more about basic, everyday life in Konoha. For some reason she was easier to talk to than Kyra and Sai - probably because she was around his own age instead of about five years below like Shin or decades above like Kyra and Sai, and especially Shikaku.

Then a rainy day dawned. The day before, Shikaku had told Shikami that that day would be a day off. Shikami wondered now if Shikaku had done that because he'd known it would rain.

At any rate, Shikami had something he wanted to do. Rue had told him just a couple days ago about the library in Konoha, and Shikami figured that was the best place to go to answer the question Shikaku wouldn't answer a week before.

So he accepted the umbrella Kyra offered him before he could leave, and he set off in search of it. When he entered the building, he set the umbrella in a place where he saw others dripping and started roaming the aisles.

He wasn't sure what exactly he was expecting to find. Titles like _How to Kill Without Killing_ or _Death Simulation for Dummies_ would be helpful.

"Can I help you?"

Shikami turned at the voice and found himself looking at a lady who was presumably the librarian, smiling kindly.

"Um, yeah – I mean, yes, ma'am," Shikami said. "I'm kind of about to become a ninja, and I want to know lots of stuff about battles, if I can."

The librarian raised an eyebrow, but her smile never faded. She was probably trying to decide just how old he was, wondering if he shouldn't already be a ninja.

Now to get more specific. Shikami continued, "I've been wondering if sometimes ninja don't leave their comrades for dead sometimes when they're really alive. I don't want to make that mistake. Are there any books on how to tell when the enemy is faking your friend's death?"

The lady furrowed her brow in concentration, thinking about Shikami's request. He tried not to hold his breath. Nothing he'd said was untrue; he simply hadn't told exactly what he wished to know.

"Well, I'm not sure, exactly," she said after a moment. "But I can take you to the part of the library that has the best chance of answering that."

Shikami nodded and the woman led the way to another part of the library. After pointing out a few books he might like to try, she left him to go look for other people she could attack with books and knowledge more easily found.

Shikami pulled a few books off the shelves and settled down in a huge, comfortable, stuffed chair. In his first book, he read the table of contents first, then skimmed each chapter, looking for any promising information.

For the most part, the first book contained information about genjutsu. Shinobi immobilized their target with illusions and then moved in for the kill with ordinary weapons like kunai.

Shikami set that book aside and reached for a second. This one dealt mostly with weapons, going into detail about the pros and cons of the different tools shinobi commonly used. Kunai knives were easy to handle, makibishi were usually for quick getaways, senbon needles were used for more accuracy and less-than-fatal objectives, et cetera.

Shikami put that book on top of the first and opened up a third. This was general information concerning medical ninja. Shikami skimmed healing process descriptions and other information about medical ninja, then came across something that made him hurriedly pick up the second book again and flip to the senbon needles section. He read bits and pieces eagerly, skipping other sections in the chapter that didn't have the information he was looking for.

_"Senbon__ needles are very thin, light, and sharp on both ends. They are often used in acupuncture. They are used also for throwing, as they can be used with more precise accuracy than most other weapons, though they do not easily kill unless they strike a vital organ. Medics sometimes use them to put their patient in a state that for a time seems to be death. They can even temporarily stop the heart. Effects wear off after a few hours."_

Shikami closed the book in a daze, then shook it off. He knew it; he absolutely had known it. His mom was still alive. Shikami was almost certain that they had used senbon needles to make Kyra sure that Shikami's mom was dead.

Shikami tried to smother his wide grin as he put the books back in their proper places. He opened up his umbrella again and stepped out into the rain, trying to make his mood appear to match the weather.

* * *

"You're _what_?" Shikami demanded the next day.

Shikaku sighed in irritation. "There's nothing you can do about it, so you may as well not even try to complain. Like I already said, I have a mission. Since it's S-ranked, and you're not even a genin yet, you can't come."

Shikami scowled and lightly kicked the grass in the clearing, as though it had something to do with this. He had just the day before found something to support his belief that his mom was still alive, and now Shikaku wanted to stop training him, no matter that it was for only a few days.

Shikaku sighed again. "Look, kid, you'll still be able to train while I'm gone."

He seemed a bit suspicious when Shikami looked up quickly at that, and Shikami inwardly cringed. He made a mental note to tone down the enthusiasm. Shikaku already knew he planned on finding his mother, but Shikami didn't want to give him any reason to built a wall of security specifically against him trying to do so. Telling people what he'd found would probably result in an answer similar to, "It's been too long. Even if she was alive then, the chances are slim to none that she is still alive now."

"Starting tomorrow, you'll be taking classes with Rue at the ninja academy for as long as I'm gone," Shikaku said. Shikami realized that he would more than likely be the oldest in the class, but that Shikaku didn't think he was ready to keep up with the ninjas-in-training more his age. It would be a big pain, but hopefully helpful, Shikami supposed.

Then Shikaku added, "And, I have something to show you before I go. You can work on this as well while I'm away."

Shikami waited.

Shikaku walked over to one of the closer trees and made sure Shikami saw him building up his chakra. Then he placed one foot on the tree.

Shikami raised an eyebrow, wondering what was up.

Apparently, Shikaku was. He didn't top with one foot. He placed another on the tree and took a step, and another, and yet another. His hands never touched the tree. He kept climbing until he was hanging upside-down on one of the branches.

Shikami snapped his mouth shut, flushing slightly to realize that he had been gawking. Shikaku threw a kunai knife down at Shikami's feet, embedding it in the dirt.

"Concentrate your chakra towards the soles of your feet. Then use that to connect with the tree," Shikami explained. "This will help you with chakra control. Remember what chakra is?"

"A mixture of spiritual and physical energy in the body," Shikami answered. At least, that was close enough to what Shikaku had said.

Shikaku nodded. "This helps you to learn to draw just the right amount of each, so you won't waste energy in a battle by using too much chakra on a single jutsu."

Shikaku released his hold on the tree, falling headfirst towards the ground before flipping in midair at the last second to land on his feet. Showoff.

"This is what you're to work on while I'm gone. Use the kunai knife to mark your progress in climbing. Each time you reach a new height, put a mark in the tree," Shikaku instructed.

Shikami nodded and picked up the kunai as Shikaku walked away, probably to get ready for his mission.

Shikami studied the tree for a moment, going over what he had just been told. Shikaku apparently wanted to make sure Shikami knew how to control his chakra before he taught him any jutsu.

Then he concentrated, trying to build up his chakra. First, Shikami decided, he would run at the tree, so as to go as high as possible that way. Then later, when he had the hang of it, he would see how he could do by just walking.

Kunai in hand, Shikami charged straight for the tree.

**

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**

Most of the information in this chapter, like with the senbon needles and tree-climbing, you'll find in Naruto's first real mission to the Land of Waves, in case you hadn't guessed. x3

**And now, I'm sure you know what I'm about to say next, right? So make sure to do it! xD**


	16. Chapter 16

**I feel like putting some random comment here, but I have none at the moment... o_O**

**Anyways, hope you like the chapter! It was hard getting it up in a day. *grumbles about too much homework***

* * *

Shikami winced as he slid into a chair at the table in Kyra's house for breakfast. The day before, he had been sure that he would have bruises everywhere when the next day rolled around. And now this morning, he had been proven right.

He should have given up for the day after just a few falls from failing to climb the tree completely, but no, he had to keep climbing until he could barely get up again it hurt so much. And then he had just laid there in the grass until sunset instead of finding a more comfortable place to try to relax.

And now he had to wake up earlier than usual to follow Rue around in her classes at the ninja academy, where he would be the oldest in the class. And unless Shikaku had really pushed Shikami along quickly with head knowledge of the paths of shinobi, Shikami would also likely know the least.

From all that negativity, Shikami probably should've been in a relatively bad mood, or at least quieter than usual. And yet, as he was still excited over the information he'd learned about senbon needles, he had to make a conscious effort not to smile.

"Have fun at school, you two," Kyra said, sending Shikami and Rue off with a smile and a lunch for each of them.

"Thanks, Mom; we will," Rue promised.

Shikami followed her to the school and then they parted ways temporarily. Rue headed to class, while Shikami had been instructed to visit his teacher in his office before school began.

Shikami knocked on the door before entering, even though the door was open already. The man behind the desk bent over paperwork looked up and his eyes widened.

He had dark brown hair pulled back into a very short, spiky ponytail (similar to how Shikami, his dad, and his grandpa all wore their hair) and black eyes, and his shinobi headband was tied around his head. But his most distinguishing feature was a long scar that ran across his nose from one cheek to the other.

"Ah, you must be Shikami," the man said, recovering from his surprise and standing. He smiled. "You look so much like your father that for a moment I actually thought you were him. I'm Iruka-sensei."

Shikami nodded. "Pleased to meet you."

"Come on, let's go introduce you to the class," Iruka said. He led the way to the classroom and Shikami followed. Halfway to the room, he heard a bell ring through the building, signaling the beginning of the school day.

"Wait here," Iruka instructed him. "And when I introduce you, you can come in." Shikami nodded again but didn't say anything this time.

Shikami listened as Iruka called out names, looking to make sure everyone was present. Then he began introducing Shikami.

"As Rue may have already told some of you, we have a new student, starting today and lasting for a few days," Iruka said. "You can come in now, Shikami."

A small part of Shikami wanted to stay put and see what would happen, but he slid the door open and stepped into the room. A couple dozen pairs of eyes watched him cross the room to stand next to Iruka.

Shikami took in the room itself first. It seemed very large – overly-spacious. There was a lot of room up in the front of the room for the teacher to walk around, and the chalkboard was very wide and taller than Shikami assumed Iruka-sensei ever needed. The ceiling was high, and the large windows invited bored students to find something more interesting outside, be it a cloud or a bird or whatever. The students sat mostly two or three at a table, which also seemed pretty spacious.

Shikami's overall impression of the classroom was 'big'.

The students all looked to be about Rue's age, of course. There looked to be roughly twice as many boys as there were girls, for some reason. Shikami supposed being a ninja was probably more of a guy thing, based on that.

"Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, Shikami?" Iruka suggested.

The class waited. Shikami had never before had so many eyes on him at one time waiting for him to say or do something, especially eyes belonging to strangers.

But he cleared his throat and said, "My name is Shikami Nara. You might or might not have heard of my parents – Shikamaru Nara and Kaida Nara, previously Kaida Yukiten."

Should he add that he had only recently learned that ninja existed?

Nah, if they asked, he would tell, but it seemed best just to leave that out for now.

"I'm training under my grandpa, Shikaku Nara, but while he's away on a mission, I'll be learning here," Shikami finished.

Iruka nodded in approval and gestured to an empty seat in the back of the classroom, in between Rue and one of the boys. "Thank you, Shikami. Please, have a seat back there."

Shikami did as he was told, making his way back. As soon as he was comfortably seated, Iruka-sensei began the lesson, teaching about the Shinobi Rules. Shikami was startled at first to realize that they sounded familiar, and he could almost quote with Iruka each one. He searched his memory, trying to figure out how he knew them, and then realized that his mom had told him most of them through her bedtime stories.

The familiarity was comforting. Shikami put his arms on the tabletop and rested his chin on his arms (avoiding the bruised areas), half-listening, half recalling the stories that had gone along with each one. Several of the rules seemed ridiculous.

Never show emotion? Sure, to some extent, that would be useful. But not all emotion hindered. Sometimes it helped. And Shikami had the stories to repeat to prove it.

Always put the mission first? Shikami could think of tales where the mission had come second, and had the mission been put first, it would have failed.

It seemed each rule had an exception, which was worse than English class where ninety-nine percent of the stuff had exceptions. Why were they even learning it, anyways?

Iruka's voice droned on, and Shikami felt his eyelids drooping. He hadn't gotten enough sleep last night. It would be so nice to just...

"Shikami!" Iruka shouted. Seconds later, something hit Shikami's head.

He slowly woke back up and glanced down at what had hit him – a piece of chalk. The students were laughing, and Shikami just sighed. This was going to be a long day.

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Teehee, did that last part sound familiar? x3 Shikami's personality is a mix of both his parents; it's fun to work with. ;P

**...For some reason, I find it difficult to write stuff to fill in time. I dunno why; I'd just rather have the story go from one main point to another... ._.' But I'll continue to do my best to fill in places like this with funnish, random stuffz. xD**

**Wish me luck, with 'stuff to fill in time' and just plain updating quickly! And that also means review and tell me your thoughts. xD**

**(Also, my mistake, I had Rue say that students of the ninja academy were taught ordinary lessons like math, science, etc, before coming to learn how to be a ninja. I recently found out that's wrong; I apologize. But since I've already put it in the story, just go with it, kay? xP)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Well, this chapter's a little shorter, but you can blame it on lack of immediate inspiration and my English teacher. *does not wish to know about ants the size of my thumb* =/**

**Anyways, I still hope you enjoy it. xP**

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The morning dragged by. Once lunchtime finally rolled around, Shikami was ready to master the art of sleeping with your eyes wide open. Not that Iruka-sensei wasn't _fascinating_, but what he went over was often review for the students and even review for Shikami, having learned it all already through either his mother or Shikaku.

Not to mention Iruka kept looking off towards the Hokage's building with a forgotten smile on his face. It was a little creepy after the fifth time he'd done it.

For lunch, it seemed the students could go just about anywhere to eat as long as they didn't leave the school grounds or had parents to pick them up or something. Shikami saw a small group of boys sneaking off the grounds, though.

Shikami settled on a swing attached to a tree out in front of the academy to eat his lunch. When he had finished, he was looking up at the tree itself, wondering if this one would work just as well for chakra control even if it was a different type of tree than the one he had used in the forest, when a voice behind him suddenly said, "This was where I usually went when I went to the academy as a kid."

Shikami looked over his shoulder to see the Hokage himself walking towards him. Shikami figured standing in respect was the right response, but Naruto just motioned for him to sit back down on the swing again.

"This swing was basically where I went when I was feeling down, and when I had nothing better to do," Naruto continued, giving a rueful grin sideways to Shikami as he surveyed the other students that didn't seem to notice him yet.

"Your personal seat of depression?" Shikami asked. It probably wasn't the best thing to say to the village's leader, but Naruto burst into laughter.

"Something like that," Naruto agreed when he had caught his breath.

Shikami considered what the Hokage had said. "So, you were depressed a lot?"

Naruto seemed to think about that for a moment. "Hm, I don't know about that, exactly, but I _was_ alone more often than not."

"Now you're famous," Shikami pointed out.

Naruto flashed him a grin. "I was pretty famous back then too, though not in a good way. Never mind why," he added, stopping Shikami's question before it was asked. "But most of the adults had it in for me, which taught their kids, my classmates, to do about the same."

Shikami thought about that for a while. He couldn't come up with any definite reason for what Naruto was saying, but he supposed that if it was important, he would eventually find out one way or another.

"Why aren't you in your office?" Shikami wanted to know.

Naruto shrugged and grinned devilishly. "A nice way to put it is I'm getting fresh air and seeing what the people of my village are up to. It's important for a Hokage to make sure everybody's happy."

"A not-so-nice way to put it is...?" Shikami prompted.

Naruto groaned. "I'm hiding from paperwork."

Shikami couldn't help laughing. The Hokage was seeming less high-and-mighty and mysterious by the moment – more like an actual human being. He still should be respected, but fortunately, Shikami's laughter didn't seem to bother Naruto in the least.

"Well, well, Naruto! Or should I say, Lord Hokage, welcome!" Iruka's voice was laced with delight and something close to laughter. "What brings you here?"

"Hide-and-seek," Shikami supplied, then realized he probably should've bitten his tongue. Iruka-sensei wasn't like Naruto. More quiet respect seemed necessary.

But Naruto laughed again, ruefully, and said, "Shikami's right, Iruka-sensei. Sakura will probably tear Konoha apart until she finds me and makes me sign all those papers. It's nice to visit this place again, too, though."

"Well, you know you're welcome back at any time!" Iruka told him cheerfully.

Naruto looked slightly panicked at that, and he said emphatically, "To visit, sure, but no way am I taking lessons over again!"

"We'd be glad to put you in the same class as your twins," Iruka added innocently, but Naruto continued to insist he wasn't going to, while Shikami watched, amused. He guessed that Iruka had been Naruto's sensei during his academy days.

All too soon, lunch ended. Shikami was herded back to class, and Naruto left to find another hiding spot, as the academy couldn't be completely safe forever.

The first part of the afternoon was spent practicing the students' taijutsu. In this, Shikami found that he was actually somewhat behind, as the others had been learning it for about a year already. But Shikami did his best, and at the end, he was hardly tired. Shikaku had pushed him much harder than Iruka.

Later in the afternoon, the students learned about focusing chakra through handsigns. Iruka-sensei talked about it a lot more than Shikaku had when he'd introduced Shikami to it, but essentially what they both said was the same thing.

Iruka also promised that soon they would begin to learn the transformation jutsu, which made Shikami excited. He wondered if "soon" meant "while Shikami is still having classes with us".

Eventually, however, the school day ended, and Rue and Shikami walked back to her home together.

"What'd you think?" Rue asked.

Shikami shrugged. "Lunch break was the best part of the day."

Rue laughed, probably assuming Shikami had meant he hadn't had to concentrate on any classes during that time. Which was true, but it wasn't the real reason. Shikami had enjoyed the Hokage's company. A lot.

After dumping his school stuff in his room at Kyra's house, Shikami headed for the forest, needing to practice his tree-climbing more.

**

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**

Yes, Naruto is married; yes, it's a canon character; and no, it's not Sakura. xD Maybe later in the story it'll be convenient to mention his wife. ;P

**So? As always, what are your thoughts on my chapter? Leave a review for meh, pleeze! xD**


	18. Chapter 18

**And here is chapter number eighteen! ^^ Taylor gets her wish - we meet Kaida's parents finally. xP Hope you enjoy!**

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The falling sensation was becoming familiar, but this time Shikami hadn't exerted too little chakra. No, the tree seemed to push him away from itself because Shikami had used too _much_ chakra in trying to climb it.

He landed on the ground with a thud and stared discontentedly up at the tree. It looked like someone had blown up a section of the tree trunk in the shape of a shoeprint. Wonderful.

Shikami wondered if there was any part of him that _hadn't_ yet been bruised.

He sighed, stood, and concentrated his chakra.

The tree.

Focus on the tree.

His chakra gathered at the bottoms of his feet.

He and the tree were one.

Shikami started forward. This time, he would make it for sure.

"Shikami?"

Shikami tripped to a sudden and painful stop, crashing into the tree, at the sound of someone else in the area with him.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry!" the woman's voice gasped.

"Forget it," Shikami grunted, peeling himself from the tree. That hadn't exactly been what he had meant when he said he and the tree were one. He had wanted contact with it through his feet only.

He looked over at the lady who had interrupted him. She had graying hair that still had a bit of red color at the ends, and sparkling green eyes that were now wide with something similar to horror. It died down, though, when she saw that he was (well, for the most part) okay.

"Who are you?" Shikami asked, carefully touching his face and then glancing at his fingertips to make sure he wasn't bleeding. Nope, no blood; it just hurt.

The lady walked forward slowly, watching him as though in a trance. "You look so much like your father," she murmured.

If one more person said that, Shikami was going to burst. He had been told that more often in the last couple weeks than he had in about thirteen years. He wasn't sure yet if he liked hearing it or not. But he remembered that when his mom had said it, she had always looked as though it was a bittersweet thought, with enough sweet to keep her repeating it. So he supposed he should accept it as a compliment.

"I'm your grandmother, on your mother's side," the lady said. She reached him finally and raised her hand as though to caress his face, but her hand hesitated a couple inches from his cheek. "Call me Grandmom?"

Shikami didn't miss the hesitant question she put into her last statement. She was unsure about him. Since she probably hadn't seen him since he had been born, or maybe she hadn't seen him at all, Shikami supposed he could understand that.

So long as she wouldn't squeeze the life out of him in a hug, Shikami supposed he may as well try and make her feel at ease. He reached up and slowly, gently, pushed her hand to his face, not even flinching at the sting he felt when her hand made contact.

"Have you been on a mission, Grandmom, and that's why I haven't seen you since I arrived?" Shikami asked. He wondered what her actual name was.

She smiled briefly at his touch, then it vanished again at his question. He saw pain in her expression and realized that even after a couple weeks, his mom's supposed death was still probably forefront on her mind.

"No, my husband and I aren't ninjas," she explained. "We run a small used bookstore – we buy and sell used books."

That sounded like a pretty boring job, but it also sounded like one that wouldn't get you killed in multiple painful ways. Shikami wondered what had made his mom want to become a ninja.

"The reason we haven't been here to see you until now is because we spend periods of time in Suna, the Hidden Sand Village. We find books there not found in Konoha, so we buy them there and sell them here," Shikami's grandma continued. "We don't get rich off of it, but it's one way to pay the bills."

Shikami nodded, and she let her hand drop. "If you want, I can take you to meet my husband. Otherwise, I'll let you get back to your training," she said.

Shikami glanced up at the tree, then at the kunai in his hand. He sliced the kunai into the tree and took his hand away, looking back up at his grandmother. "Let's go," he told her, offering a small smile.

* * *

"Hey, kiddo!" a man with light brown hair and the same colored eyes greeted Shikami when he and his grandma entered the bookstore. When Shikami reached him, the man offered him a high five. Shikami hesitated momentarily, then gave him what he wanted, minus the high enthusiasm level he had probably hoped for.

"Yudai, don't scare the poor boy off before you've even introduced yourself," Shikami's grandma scolded.

Yudai shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry, Aiko. Shikami, pleased to meet you; I'm your mother's father," he said, flashing a familiar grin.

In these two people, Shikami could see bits of his mom. Aiko's appearance was similar to Shikami's mom's, while Yudai seemed to behave more like his mom. It was comforting. Too bad he didn't know enough about his dad to say something similar about his other grandparents.

Then Yudai frowned. "Why do you look so beat up?" he asked. Aiko blushed, but Shikami explained before she could blame herself.

"I'm trying to climb trees with my chakra, sir. It's not going too well, so I keep falling from several feet up."

Yudai nodded at his answer but waved off the 'sir'. "No need to bother with formalities. Just call me Grandpa, Pops - whatever rolls off your tongue."

Shikami wondered just how much his grandpa was like his mom. He braced himself for a mild scolding if what he was about to say didn't work out well. "Nice to meet you, Whatever Rolls Off Your Tongue."

Yudai leaned his head back and roared with laughter. "I deserved that," he admitted.

Aiko looked like she was trying to hide a smile, though she was failing. "You may look like Shikamaru, but that was all Kaida right there."

Would people forever be comparing him to his parents? Shikami tried not to get slightly annoyed at that, but it was easier to smother the annoyance once he realized that he had just done the same thing – he had compared his grandparents to his mom.

It was probably a thing that came with first meetings. If he had grown up in this village, people would probably be doing it less, and Shikami would probably not be doing it at all. As time went on, people would get to know him better for _him_, and vice versa. He just had to be patient.

"So, Shikami," Aiko said. "You're learning to become a ninja, as well?"

Shikami nodded, wondering how they felt about that, and decided against explaining.

"I remember when Kaida was trying to master the tree-climbing and walking-on-water techniques," Yudai commented with a half-grin. "Not only did she practically drain her chakra to absolute zero every day, but she was either soaked or completely black and blue all over, depending on which technique it was at the time."

There was a walk-on-water technique? From what Yudai said, Shikami supposed it was another way to learn chakra control. He'd better master the tree-climbing exercise quickly so Shikaku would teach him the next one.

"Who's your sensei?" Aiko wanted to know.

"My other grandpa, Shikaku," Shikami answered.

"Shikaku?" Yudai repeated, raising his eyebrows. "I'd heard he was out on a mission when we got back."

Shikami nodded. "He was training me before he left, and then when he had to go, he told me about the tree-climbing thing, and I'm supposed to work on it while he's away."

The three spent the next hour or two conversing back and forth, before Shikami felt the need to return to Rue's home. Aiko let him go on the condition he agreed to have supper with the two of them one night soon. Shikami promised, and then left.

As he ate with Rue, Sin, and Sai (Kyra had left during the day on another mission), Shikami thought about his day. Schooltime in the summer was going to be such a drag, but at least he seemed to be learning ninja stuff there, even if all of the book information bored him to death.

Shikami bit down on the vegetables Shin had discreetly pushed onto his plate when Sai's attention was elsewhere. Rue gave her brother a warning look but didn't say anything, and Shikami didn't necessarily mind supporting Shin in this every so often.

After supper, Rue asked Shikami if it would be all right for him to pose for her to make a sketch. He had to admit, the girl was an amazing artist, young as she was. The result came out wonderfully. Shikami subconsciously wondered if he really looked like that, or if Rue had exaggerated slightly in her drawing to make him look better than he did, so he wouldn't be offended by a more realistic result.

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Hmmm, the way it ended seemed a bit forced somehow... :/ But then again, maybe I was just tired when I wrote it. What do you think?

**Anyways, in a word, that means 'review' again. xD**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hm, by the time the first few paragraphs are over with, it seems about three weeks have passed since Shikami came to Konoha with Lady Tsunade and Shizune. I think it's time to put the next majorish thing into action. xP**

**Hope you like it! ^_^**

* * *

The next few days passed by quickly, falling into a routine.

Kyra returned from her mission and Sai left on his. It seemed neither wanted to be gone at the same time as the other, even though Rue said it happened relatively often. Haru watched over her and Shin when both parents were gone.

Shikami still attended classes at the academy with Rue. Most of it did its best to tempt Shikami into sleep, but the afternoon classes tended to wake him up.

Taijutsu class improved Shikami's hand-to-hand combat skills. Iruka-sensei never pushed him as hard as Shikaku-sensei had, but Shikami still felt as though he was making progress.

In ninjutsu class, Iruka was still going over how to build up chakra to effectively use jutsu; he had yet to start teaching them how exactly to use the transformation jutsu. Finally, however, he showed them the simple handsign for the jutsu. Nobody got to actually start trying it, though.

And in genjutsu class, Iruka-sensei was only teaching background information about it, not how to cast it or break it. Shikami had learned a lot more about it from Shikaku, though he still felt he knew very little.

After school ended, Shikami would climb the tree higher and higher each day using his chakra. He made it to the first branch finally, and from there he progressed quickly until he could get all the way to the top. The day finally arrived when he could simply _walk_ up the side of it and hang upside down and everything. Granted, it wasn't second nature yet, but he would get there.

The sun beginning to set in the west was his cue to return to Rue's home for supper, although one evening he followed up on his promise to have dinner with his mother's parents. Aiko commented more than once on how she loved cooking for three for once again, instead of just two. Shikami took the hint and it was arranged for him to have supper with them about twice a week.

Then, after supper, he would either talk with the home's family (depending on whether he was with his grandparents or Kyra's family) or work on homework assignments Iruka gave them. Or both, sometimes.

Then, one day, something happened to break the routine. Shikami was in the middle of a stream near his training area in the woods, jumping from rock to rock to improve his footwork, when someone called out, "Shikami!"

Shikami had been about to land on another rock, but he lost his concentration for a split second and slipped, landing in the stream and soaking himself. Jeez, people really needed to stop sneaking up on him.

He resurfaced and made his way to the stream's bank, kneeling in the grass when he got there. Then he got a look at who had called out to him and stared.

Ethan laughed. "Sorry, man. I didn't mean to surprise you."

Shikami's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, and he put up his hands to break the genjutsu. Shikaku must have returned, but he should've known it wouldn't fool Shikami twice.

Ethan's eyes widened and he put up his hands as though in surrender. "Easy, Mr. Ninja! Don't blast me – I come in peace and have no wish to become pieces." The image must mean he thought Shikami had learned jutsu already and was going to attack him.

At any rate, Shikami ignored him and concentrated his chakra. The illusion's personality seemed to have improved. "Release!"

When he opened his eyes again, Ethan was still there, looking at him like he was crazy.

"Uh, I'm not holding anything."

"You're real." Even though Shikami said that, he still wasn't completely convinced. He was no expert in genjutsu.

"What's that supposed to mean? Of course I'm real! And I've got news about your mom. Don't give me that look. What's wrong with you?"

"How did you find me?" Shikami demanded.

Ethan looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Dude, I'm sorry for scaring you, all right? It sure wasn't easy finding you; I've been looking for weeks, maybe longer. I kinda lost track of time out here."

Shikami took a closer look at Ethan and saw evidence that he was telling the truth. He was pretty scratched up, as though he'd been struggling through the forest surrounding Konoha for about as long as he'd claimed. He looked tired, too, like he hadn't been getting enough sleep. And pine needles and other similar evidence of the forest were stuck in his clothes.

"What do your parents know?" Shikami asked next.

"What's with the third degree?" Ethan protested. At Shikami's look, he seemed to calm himself somewhat. "Okay, look. I don't know why you can't trust me right now, but I swear up and down I'm really me, really 'real', as you said earlier. I left my parents a note that said I was going to find you, but that was all. No specifics. Then I ran away. You wouldn't believe how hard it was figuring out which way you'd gone, and then when I came to the forest? Forget it. I almost did forget it and go back home, but by that time I couldn't even tell left from right and up from down."

Shikami hesitated. If it was an illusion that Shikami couldn't effectively break, it would be really bad to believe him. Then again, if it really was Ethan, it would be really bad _not_ to believe him.

Shikami could think of only one thing to do. He took Ethan to Rue's house. Kyra had left just the day before on another mission, and Sai had yet to come back even though he was expected soon, but Haru was watching the three kids.

* * *

"He's no illusion, nor is he someone else using the transformation jutsu," Haru announced after a few minutes. Shikami wasn't exactly sure how he'd come to that conclusion, but he was glad to hear it, and slightly ashamed, too.

"Thank you," Ethan said in mock relief. "I never would've figured it out without you."

"Very funny," Shikami commented sarcastically. "Although, I guess I should say I'm sorry I didn't believe you. My grandpa, also my sensei, had used an illusion of you before as kind of a test."

Ethan grinned. "I'm just glad you didn't jump me out there or leave me to wander the woods until my death or anything."

Shikami relaxed, glad Ethan wasn't going to hold it against him.

"So, Ethan," Haru said. "What brings you here, wandering around in the huge, surrounding forest?"

"Uhh..." Ethan hesitated, glancing sideways at Shikami as though asking permission to tell the retired ninja.

"Forget I asked," Haru sighed. "But, Ethan, whatever you see here is confidential. You cannot tell _anyone_, understood?"

Ethan nodded. "Yeah, got it."

The boys left the house again, and Shikami said, "Let's go back to my training area. You can tell me everything there."

And so they were off, with Shikami anxious to know just what Ethan had found out.

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Oooo, I guess I should start working on chapter twenty now, huh? 83 I kinda have an idea as to what it is Ethan is going to tell Shikami, but I have yet to work out details still. xD;

**Be sure to leave a review! x33**


	20. Chapter 20

**No school today! Woot! xD It's cuz of the weather, but I haven't even looked outside yet to see what it's like... xD;**

**But anyways, getting to the main point. :P Here is the next chapter - hope you like! x3**

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"What did you find out about my mom?" Shikami asked when he and Ethan were safely alone in Shikami's training area in the woods.

"Just this," Ethan responded. He took a deep breath and began.

"I was walking past your house about four or five days after you left, and there were a couple people at your door like they had just knocked. They looked around kinda like they were looking for witnesses. I guess they didn't see me because I was mostly behind the tree in Mrs. Kochi's yard."

Shikami sat down on a conveniently placed rock to listen, while Ethan paced as he talked, like he tended to do sometimes.

"Then one of the guys covered the other one, standing casually and blocking my view. But then when he turned around, the door was open and the two went in. I couldn't wait to see if I could figure out what exactly they were up to, because my mom went outside and saw me and called me in for lunch," Ethan said, scowling slightly in frustration.

Shikami waited quietly for Ethan to continue, though inwardly he was practically begging for more details like a dehydrated puppy for water. After a couple more wide circles of pacing, Ethan stopped and faced Shikami.

"During the meal, my parents were talking about two visitors in the town, so I asked them what was up. They said a couple men had gone around the town that morning asking lots of personal stuff about you and your mom. Like where you'd come from before moving there, what your mom had done for a living, what was the story about your dad, where were you now – stuff like that."

Shikami tensed. "And what did they learn?"

Ethan shrugged. "My dad told them to get lost. From what he and Mom told me, I think they got generally the same reaction from most everyone."

"Most?" Shikami asked.

Ethan flashed a grin finally. "Well, you know, nobody really would be able to tell even if they wanted to, and practically everyone wouldn't want to. The way I heard it, Mrs. Sasaki spun an involved tale about how your dad had accidentally murdered someone and the ghost haunted him until he mysteriously turned into a week-old baby. Then your mom renamed the baby Shikami and hid him in an out-of-the-way town in the hopes that the ghost wouldn't find him and finish the job. The ghost possessed your mom and took her away, and you supposedly ran after her to offer the ghost an exchange. And only time would tell what would happen next," Ethan finished dramatically.

Shikami rolled his eyes and tried to smother his growing grin. The old woman Ethan mentioned was known for her ability to make up absurd stories on the spot and give them so much detail it was creepy. The only thing needed to get her started was a question as simple as 'Hey, aren't you going to eat your carrots?'

And, yes, Ethan had done that and then he and Shikami had both been sorry afterwards. Mrs. Sasaki had kept them at her side for almost two hours, telling a story about why no one in her family could ever eat carrots.

"So, back to the nosy visitors," Shikami prompted. Ethan nodded and started pacing again.

"I saw from a window in our house when they left your place, so I went over to see what had happened. Your door was closed but unlocked, so I went in." Ethan suddenly stopped again and frowned, looking over at Shikami.

Shikami shook his head. "I'm probably going to wind up saying thank you; don't worry that I'm going to bite your head off."

Ethan nodded and began pacing once more, then seemed to decide to forget it altogether. He sighed and sat down in the grass.

"I don't know what they were looking for, and I'm not enough of an expert detective to figure out if they'd taken anything. But when I got to your room, I found a note... and this."

Ethan pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and silently handed it to Shikami, who opened it up just as quietly. Something slipped out onto his lap and he picked it up, eyes widened in shocked recognition.

It looked like two golden ring bands welded together, with diamonds on both. His mom's wedding and engagement rings.

He turned his attention back to the slip of paper.

"_Shikami: We are so sorry to have to inform you of your mother's death. There are chances you have heard the lies (well-intentioned though they may have been) from her comrades in Konoha, but we bring the truth, hard though it is. Details cannot be disclosed over paper, but if you follow the instructions below, we can tell you her last words."_

Shikami stared at the paper, lips parted in disbelief. He felt anger creeping up on him again and he wanted nothing more than to tear the paper to shreds.

He pushed it down, however, and looked back up at Ethan, who was waiting for any kind of response.

"Will you go?" Ethan asked quietly.

"It's probably a trap."

"Duh."

"I have to trip it."

"I'm going with you."

"No."

"Dude, never tell me no."

Shikami looked back at the note and hesitated. Ethan was a great friend, but... "If it is a trap, you'll get stuck, too."

"We've always shared trouble before," Ethan reminded him.

Shikami sighed in defeat. Arguing with Ethan was like arguing with the rock Shikami was sitting on. And the rock was probably less stubborn.

"You should be trained as a ninja," Shikami said.

Ethan beamed. "So find me a sensei."

Shikami stood and pocketed the note and his mom's ring. "Let's go see if Haru- or Iruka-sensei will arrange something. My own sensei's on a mission right now—"

"Think again," a voice said, interrupting Shikami. Both boys jumped and turned to see Shikaku standing a few feet away.

"Wow," Ethan muttered. "This guy's your sensei and grandpa?"

"Yeah," Shikami replied to Ethan, then asked Shikaku, "How much did you hear?" He tried to keep his tone curious rather than suspicious.

Shikaku simply eyed the two boys, and for a moment Shikami thought he'd been there the entire time. But then the man said, "Just long enough to hear your last comment. If your friend wants to become a ninja, I'll have to talk with our Hokage first. But otherwise I see no reason why I can't train two at once."

At first, the solution seemed way too easy. Shikaku knew Shikami believed his mom was still alive and wanted to look for her.

But then Shikami realized that was _why_ Shikaku wanted to train both boys – so he could keep an eye on them and try to reduce chances that they would have the time, let alone energy, to leave the village in search of her.

"Sweet," Ethan stated. "Let's get started as soon as we can!"

Shikami nodded wordlessly in agreement, his eyes never leaving his teacher. No matter what Shikaku tried to pull, Shikami would find a way. Just wait.

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'Keep your friends close, but hold your enemies closer.' Haha, obviously, that isn't completely accurate for this moment, but it's close enough. xD

I kinda thought about making Ethan's story another flashback, but it didn't exactly work out that way. xP Hope it's still good! xD

**Let me know what chu think! ^_^~**


	21. Chapter 21

**And we're back to wasting time. xP**

**Hope you like it still, though! xD I think that when the next major thing happens, I'll be done with having to kill time. xDD**

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Shikami jumped back down from the tree, having just shown Shikaku that he had completed the training exercise of climbing up the tree with chakra and no hands. Ethan was standing nearby, with wide eyes clearly saying "wow".

Shikaku nodded in approval and motioned for Shikami to stand next to Ethan.

"This should all be review for Shikami, but it will do him good. Ethan, I'm going to explain some things they teach you in the ninja academy, but I'm going to go through it more quickly," Shikaku said. "Try to repeat it back to me when I'm done."

Ethan nodded and Shikaku began, telling the two boys the same things Shikami remembered from when he first started training under Shikaku.

It was the day after Ethan had first arrived, the first day of Ethan's training, and the first day of Shikami's continued training. Which meant, apparently, that Naruto had had no objections to Ethan becoming a ninja.

Also, the day before, Haru had consented that Ethan could stay at Kyra and Sai's house while he was at Konoha – provided, of course, that when Kyra and Sai found out they would permit it. And when Sai had returned that morning, he had had nothing against it, either.

"Now then," Shikaku said after the morning and lunchtime had passed. "Ethan, I'm going to go hard on you for a while until you and Shikami are both at about the same level."

Ethan nodded determinedly. Shikami hoped his friend knew what he was getting into.

A few hours later, Shikaku had worked them both to exhaustion.

"I don't... think he's... human..." Ethan panted.

Shikami nodded in agreement but couldn't spare the breath to reply. He thought he had gotten better in Shikaku's absence, but it seemed he hadn't. But he would continue to do his best, so he would be able to help his mom somehow. Everyone was wrong, he reminded himself. She wasn't dead, and that was final.

Shikaku stood in front of them, arms crossed. He hardly looked as though he'd broken a sweat.

Shikami let out a low moan, too quiet for Shikaku to hear. Of course Shikaku wasn't tired. He was a jonin, while Shikami and Ethan weren't even genin yet.

Shikaku sighed and turned to leave. "Go home and get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow."

"Mission... maybe possible," Ethan groaned, falling backwards from his sitting position so that he was laying in the grass.

Shikami took a few deep breaths and then tried to slow his breathing. After a moment, he found himself staring up at the tree he had been able to climb after nearly a week.

The tree was scratched in several dozen places, thanks to Shikami's failed attempts. And amid all the kunai marks, there was one place where the side of the tree looked like it had exploded in the shape of the bottom of Shikami's shoe.

He had climbed the tree. It had taken time, but he had done it. Shikaku's merciless training would be no different.

Of course, he didn't have all the time in the world. His mom was alive, and from all the trouble they went through to convince everyone she had died, Shikami doubted they planned on killing her anytime soon.

Still, it was always better to be safe than sorry. The moment he felt himself ready, he would find his mom.

Then a thought struck him. He struggled to his feet. "Ethan."

"That's my name."

"If you can't get up now, don't sweat it. But I have to go to the library for something. Sunset is your cue to get back to Kyra's for supper," Shikami said.

Ethan shook his head and pushed himself heavily to his feet. "I'm good," he said. "What are you going to the library for?"

Shikami began walking in the direction of the village, and Ethan fell into step beside him.

"I'd like to know where I should go first when looking for Mom," he said. "I want to know if the directions on the note will lead me to the same place Kyra told me about or if it's somewhere different."

Ethan nodded but asked, "How do you know where it was Kyra was talking about?" The night before, Shikami had repeated the story Kyra told for Ethan's benefit.

Shikami stopped, remembering that Kyra had refused to tell him. He frowned, thinking, then started walking again.

"It's somewhere between Konoha and Keilah, but not necessarily on the way," he said, trying to remember if any other details had been given away. He exhaled slowly. "I don't know any more than that, I guess, now that you mention it. But maybe Mom's second teammate will tell me – Hotori, I think his name was."

"And how will you find him?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow. "If he and Kyra are a team, and Kyra's on a mission..."

Shikami groaned and sank back to the ground. "Why do you have to be right?"

Ethan laughed ruefully and sat down with a thump next to him. "You're tired, which is probably why you're not thinking straight. Give it a little more time," he advised. "After all, it's not like you'll be running after your mom tomorrow, right?"

Shikami nodded. "If this is a trap, and they're the same people that took down a jonin and forced two other jonin to flee, we'll definitely need more training." He looked sideways at Ethan. "Normally I'm the more patient of the two of us. How'd we switch?"

Ethan grinned, his chipped tooth showing again. "You're more personally involved with the thing that requires patience this time, I guess?"

Shikami sighed. "Guess so."

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Shikami said, "Want to meet my mom's parents before supper? Tomorrow, I'm going to have supper with them, and I bet you'd be more than welcome, too, but I know they like it when I visit."

Ethan rubbed a spot on his shoulder as though it were giving him some trouble, then grinned and stood. "Why not. What're they like – scary like your dad's parents?"

Ethan had met Yoshino that morning before training had begun. She had been friendly enough when they were introduced, but before the boys had made themselves known, Yoshino had been heard nagging at Shikaku about dozens of things.

And Shikami supposed Shikaku could definitely be classified as scary, too, considering how he was in training.

Shikamaru stood as well and began making his way again in the direction of the village. "Nah, not scary like that. Grandmom's kind of shy until she gets to know you a little better, while Granddad is a lot more outgoing and friendly and stuff."

"So in other words, they're weird," Ethan translated.

"Who isn't?" Shikami responded with a smirk.

"Good point."

They continued like that until they entered the village, where Aiko and Yudai welcomed them enthusiastically. The boys stayed there for a couple hours, resting and talking at the same time, then went back to Kyra's house for supper.

That night, both boys practically collapsed into their beds. Shikami was out like a light the moment his head touched the pillow.

At least Shikaku's slave-driving ensured a good night's sleep.

**

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Yep, apparently Kyra lives in a mansion with three main bedrooms, three guest rooms, and goodness knows how many other rooms. ^^"

**Also... *pokes the conversation above where Shikami wants to go to library and Ethan points out random stuffz wrong* Maybe an author shouldn't exactly say this about herself and her work, but that was kinda me arguing with myself over what Shikami should do to figure out his mom's location... xD;**

**And 'tis review time once more! -insert ebil laughter here- xD**


	22. Chapter 22

**More pointless, funnish stuffz in this chapter! xD BUT, there is a bit of vitalish info here, too. Think you can find it, or them? Depending on how subtle or obvious I've made it, it may or may not be what you think. xDD**

**Anyways, I'd like to thank Amber for an idea that pops up at the end of this chapter! Thanx for supporting the idea thief - me! xD**

* * *

"Speak," the man commanded.

The other person inclined his head in the respect the first demanded. "The boy has delivered the message you left in the woman's home, sir."

"It's about time. Doesn't he have any sense of direction?"

The second man kept silent, assuming it to be a rhetorical question.

"Where was her son?"

"He has taken refuge in the Village Hidden in the Tree Leaves – Konohagakure."

"Ah... So the lovely lady's comrades did take him with them. Is he on his way here?"

"...N-no, sir."

Something like a growl emitted from the fist man's throat, causing the second to cringe as though he expected to be hit.

But then the growl died to a purr. "No matter. The boy will come eventually. And even if he doesn't, there is always Plan E."

The man bowing swallowed hard. When plans A, B, and C had all failed, they had each resulted in an increasingly violent fit of rage from the lord of the house. The boy had better come.

Man number two didn't want to think about what would happen should Plans D and E both fail. Would there be a Plan F?

Scary thoughts.

* * *

"Are you Hotori Yamagi?" Shikami asked. He stood at the edge of one of the many clearings in the Konoha woods. It was different from his own training area's clearing, but close enough to the same. And it apparently served the same purpose.

It was around noon, during the lunch break that Shikami, Ethan, and Shikaku were taking only a couple days after Ethan had caused Shikami to decide he needed to try and talk with Hotori. Shikami had swallowed his lunch quickly and taken off under the vague excuse that he needed to do something.

The man let out a slow breath, straightened from his slightly crouched position, and looked over at Shikami.

"Depends on who's asking and why," he responded. "I'm busy, kid. Play somewhere else."

Shikami refused to budge. "My name is Shikami Nara, and I want to know something about my mother and your teammate, Kaida Nara."

Hotori frowned. "That explains why you resemble Shikamaru so much. What do you want, kid, and make it quick so I can get back to training."

"Where did she die?" Shikami nearly choked himself on the last word, but he didn't know what else to use. The last thing he needed was for one more adult to realize he still thought his mom was alive and was trying to find her. As it was, the question itself was suspicious enough.

"None of your business," came the reply.

"She's my mom," Shikami reminded him, trying to stay calm. Arguing was troublesome, anyways, especially with an adult.

"So you said. Why do you need to know?" Hotori pulled out a few weapons and threw some of them towards a target. None missed.

"None of your business," Shikami responded before he could bite his tongue.

Hotori froze, shuriken in hand poised to throw. He slowly turned to look at Shikami again.

Suddenly Shikami wished he had paid Hotori a visit when he was relaxing at his home, without any lethal weapons out.

Shikami was about to apologize, but before he could, Hotori spoke.

"Ikari means anger, kid. Did you know that?"

Shikami stared down at his shoes and tried to look remorseful. He shook his head.

"I don't know why someone would just out of the blue kill someone else, for no apparent reason. Those kinds of people... They must have some kind of extreme anger issues, don't you think?"

"I guess so," Shikami replied. He raised his head to look at Hotori.

The man was staring intently at him. Shikami couldn't decipher the look in his eyes. Then Hotori broke eye contact and returned to throwing shuriken at his target.

"If that's all you came for, get lost. I won't tell you a thing."

Something about the way Hotori said that sounded... off. Shikami couldn't put his finger on it, but he nodded and hurried back into the woods, towards Ethan and Shikaku.

* * *

Ethan and Shikami sat down with a heavy thud in Shikami's room. There were still a few hours before supper, so the boys were trying to relax before that.

Shikaku had made absolutely sure that they were both exhausted almost to the point of not being able to move before calling it a day. They had rested a few moments in the clearing to get their breath back, then slowly and carefully made their way to Kyra's house.

"Does your grandpa even know the meaning of the word 'mercy'?" Ethan groaned.

Shikami gently rubbed his thigh, sure there would be a large bruise there sooner or later. "Doubtful."

After a few moments of silence, Ethan asked, "Did that Hotori person tell you anything today?"

Shikami shook his head. "Not a single thing. And I think I made him angry when he wouldn't tell me anything, so that definitely didn't help matters."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "What'd you do?"

"I flipped his own line back to him, telling him it was none of his business why I was asking."

Ethan tried to smother a chuckle.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just kind of funny when you slip up and act like that around adults."

Shikami rolled his eyes.

Just then, a knock sounded on the door and Rue burst in. "Have either of you seen Shin?"

Shikami and Ethan exchanged glances, then Ethan said, "No, we just got back. Why, did he run off or something?"

At Ethan's words, Rue seemed to forget for a moment what she was going to say. But then she recovered quickly and nodded, and Shikami figured it had just been his mind playing tricks on him. "I think so. He's nowhere in the house, at least – nowhere I've searched."

"Where's your mom, or Haru?" Shikami asked. Sai was out on another mission.

"Mom and Uncle Haru are both at his house doing something," Rue said. "I don't know what, but anyways, I'd rather not tell them if I don't have to."

The boys nodded and stood, attempting to ignore the soreness and exhaustion.

"Let's search the house one more time, then split up and look through the village," Shikami suggested.

Rue and Ethan both nodded, and Ethan pet her on the head like a dog. "Don't worry, Rue! He couldn't have gone far; we'll find him."

Rue looked at the floor and nodded wordlessly. Before she ducked her head, Shikami almost could've sworn she was blushing.

Shin wasn't in the house.

Shikami spread out a map of Konoha on the table and swept his hand across different areas of it. "Ethan, you search this area; Rue, you can take this part; and I'll look around here."

"We should meet back here in about an hour, whether we've found him or not," Ethan said. Then at Rue's slightly panicked look, he quickly added, "I mean, if one person finds him, the other two won't be able to. So, if we meet back here instead of searching even longer..."

Rue gave him a grateful smile and nodded.

And so the search began.

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*legaspohnoez* (Time-killer, yay! xD)

**Review~! n_n~ **


	23. Chapter 23

**Wheeeeeeeee~! xD**

**Once again, thanx much to Amber for the general idea! Random or not, it helps. xDD**

**Enjoy, peoplez! ^_^**

* * *

Shikami scoured his third of the village, searching high and low.

_Think, Shikami_, he told himself. _If you were Shin, where would you hide?_

Shikami paused in front of the library, then went in. If a kid didn't want to be found, and if he had enough hiding experience, he would choose somewhere people were least likely to think he would be.

"Excuse me, miss," Shikami said quietly, walking up to the checkout counter.

The lady behind the counter was the same one who had helped him last time. She smiled at him and asked, "Looking for more books on ninjas?"

Shikami shook his head and held up a picture of Shin that he had quickly grabbed as an afterthought before leaving Kyra's house. "Have you seen this boy at all today?"

She squinted slightly at the picture, then thought for a moment. "No, I... Wait. No, no... But maybe..." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I get so many visitors during the day, I wouldn't be able to remember one boy in particular unless something unusual happened when he was here. Like I remembered you because your questions were so different."

Wonderful; now Shikami would probably get to run around the building searching high and low, just with the other places. Well, he'd better get it over with.

"Thanks anyways, ma'am," Shikami said, walking quickly away deeper into the library.

When he couldn't find Shin in the library, he left in search of other possible hiding spots. The time seemed to drag by – that, or Shikami was the one going slow. The afternoon training's exhaustion still pretty much had him in its grip.

Forty minutes before he had to meet back up with Rue and Ethan.

He entered another building and emerged again quickly, not having found Ethan there. The cycle was repeated quite a few times.

Twenty minutes before time to head back. Maybe Rue or Ethan had found Shin.

But until he knew for sure, Shikami had to assume that they hadn't. He kept searching.

Ten minutes left.

Shikami needed a better vantage point. He wasn't sure if it would work (buildings were different from trees), but he concentrated his chakra and ran up the side of the tallest, nearest, most convenient building and stood at the top to look around.

If he knew that clone jutsu already, would that help? Would he know it if one of his clones found Shin?

No use wondering – he didn't know the clone jutsu.

Shikami spotted several children, and several people with light hair, though it was a little hard to tell exact coloring from where he stood.

He looked instead at the buildings, trying to guess where an eight-year-old would chose to run to.

Then, over in Ethan's area, something stood out from the normal pedestrians. A kid was running from another kid slightly older, dodging and weaving through crowds, headed Shikami's way.

Could it be...?

Shikami ran down the side of the building and planted himself in the middle of a street he predicted the chaser and chased would wind up, if they continued the way they were going at that time. Yes, there they came. Shin and Ethan.

Shikami tried to draw as little attention to himself as possible, moving towards blocking Shin's path but not being obvious about it. Hopefully Shin wouldn't even notice him until it was too late.

_Wham!_

Shikami placed himself directly in Shin way at the last moment, causing the boy to crash right into him. Shikami skidded backwards a few feet, but by concentrating his chakra again he didn't topple over. He held fast to the kicking and wriggling boy.

Ethan caught up to them, breathing hard. Either they had run a long ways, or Ethan was still extremely winded from the afternoon's training session as well. Possibly both.

"Way to... go... Shikami," he panted.

"Aww, lemme go! Teamwork's no fair!" Shin whined, kicking Shikami hard in the... well, shin.

"Only if you promise not to run off again if I do," Shikami said, wincing but still tightly clinging to Rue's brother.

Shin slowly calmed down, then nodded against Shikami chest. He released him and Shin took several steps back, though he didn't try to run.

"Why did you... disappear?" Ethan asked, starting to get his breath back finally.

Shin stuck out his lower lip.

"Careful, or a bird will perch on it," Shikami warned. Shin's eyes widened and he quickly withdrew from his pout. Ethan looked over at Shikami, obviously trying to strangle his laughter before it could emerge.

"I want to be a ninja, too," Shin began to explain.

"I found him in the training area, near the academy," Ethan explained in a low tone to Shikami.

"Almost everyone else is, so why can't I? I'm _not_ too young! I ran away from Ethan when he tried to catch me because ninja are fast and can run away from the enemy quick. Two people against one is cheating!" Shin said emphatically.

Shikami and Ethan exchanged glances, then Ethan knelt to be roughly the same height as Shin. "We're sorry, man. Anything we can do to make it up to you? Maybe..." Ethan dropped his voice to a whisper so Shikami had to strain to hear what he told Shin. "We'll sneak you our dessert today and tomorrow? A ninja has to eat a lot to get strong – desserts _and_ vegetables. Look at Shikami: he's got an appetite the size of a dinosaur."

Shin's expression softened. "Today and tomorrow and the day after?"

"Today and tomorrow," Ethan said firmly.

Shin considered for a moment, then grinned. "Okay!"

Shikami grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets, watching and not minding the teasing remark about how much he ate.

Then after a moment, he said, "We'd better get back to Rue. She was worried about you, Shin." The hour was up, and Rue would probably have been waiting for a few minutes by the time the three boys made it back.

"Ha, ninja can take care of themselves!" Shin insisted, but he eagerly started down the road leading back to his home.

Shikami gave Ethan a high five. "It's a shame your sister is older rather than younger. You'd be a pro looking after kids."

"You can't conclude that after all I've done is get one kid to agree to go back home," Ethan said, rolling his eyes.

Shikami grinned but decided not to comment further. A few minutes later, one missing brother had been safely delivered into the presence of a very relieved older sister, with adults none the wiser.

And that evening at supper, Kyra was surprised to see her son reach for seconds and even somewhere close enough to be called thirds of 'good-for-you food'. She seemed surprised further when all four children living under her roof decided to have their dessert together in Rue's room, and especially when Shin didn't seem to try and sneak any extras.

Shikami smirked at Ethan, who shoved his shoulder in reply. Neither needed words to tell each other what they were thinking.

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Aww, and they all live happily ever after! xD

**lolz Anyways, I think that after another chapter or two (or maybe miraculously more =o), I'll be able to move on with the main storyline. xD**

**Review time again! 8DD**


	24. Chapter 24

**Meh, this chapter's definitely shorter than the others, but... *glares at huge pile of homework* I am never ever ever ever ever EVER going to be a geologist. Ever. D=**

**Anyways, hope you like. x)**

* * *

After about a week and a half, Shikaku stopped the morning lectures and instead filled that time with teaching them different stuff. Ethan started the tree-climbing exercise, and Shikaku began teaching Shikami how to use the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu.

"Shadow paralysis?" Shikami asked after Shikaku had shown him how it worked by using it on Shikami. "But you don't paralyze the opponent; you control him."

Shikaku regarded him coldly for a moment, then sighed and said, "What a drag. Your father told me almost the exact same thing when I taught him this jutsu. He renamed it the Shadow Possession Jutsu, if you'd rather use that."

"Shadow Possession Jutsu," Shikami tried. It sounded good – seemed to fit a lot better than paralysis.

Shikaku showed him the single hand motion used for executing the technique, then explained how to do it. Then he stepped to the edge of the clearing and sat down to watch Shikami's and Ethan's progress.

"Ouch!" Ethan fell again from the tree, and stood back up again quickly, body language saying 'I meant to do that'.

Shikaku still filled the afternoons with taijutsu practice, and little by little, the boys' endurance increased, so they could last longer. After they stopped the book knowledge reviews in the mornings, they also stayed in the clearing even after Shikaku left for the day – Shikami trying to get a handle on his jutsu, and Ethan trying to control his chakra better.

After about another week had gone by, Ethan vowed in frustration that he wouldn't leave the clearing until he'd mastered the technique. Shikami debated staying with him in silent support, working on his own jutsu, but in the end, he wound up going to Kyra's house for supper anyways.

Then, after the meal, Kyra gave Rue some of the leftovers to take to Ethan, and Shikami decided he would go, too, and work another hour or so on his own jutsu before going to sleep.

Less than forty-eight hours later, Ethan had mastered the tree-climbing technique, and Shikami had almost completely mastered the Shadow Possession Jutsu.

Then Shikaku gave Ethan some kind of paper and told him to concentrate his chakra into it. Ethan gave him a weird look, but then he did so. As Shikami watched, taking a short breather from his own training, the paper seemed to turn to dirt and crumble. Ethan's eyes widened and he dropped the paper.

"What...?" Ethan muttered.

"That shows your chakra nature," Shikaku explained. "Looks like you'd be best using earth jutsu."

"Sweet," Ethan said.

"Unfortunately, I can't teach you any earth techniques."

"Not sweet."

"But I can arrange for another teacher to train you."

"Sweet."

"Would you stop that?"

"Uh, sorry," Ethan said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Shikaku sighed in annoyance. "Until I can arrange for another teacher for you, you're still my student. I was going to teach this to you and Shikami at the same time, but Shikami can start soon enough, once he's got the shadow jutsu down."

Shikami started, remembering he was supposed to be doing that at that moment. He tuned out his best friend and sensei, reasoning that Ethan could tell him later or Shikami could just wait until Shikaku started teaching it to him as well.

He got back to work on his jutsu.

And he mastered it the next day.

* * *

"When you walked up the side of the tree, you learned to maintain a steady flow of chakra," Shikaku explained. He and Shikami and Ethan were standing next to a stream near their clearing. Ethan had likely already heard this explanation the day before, but he was listening just as intently that day, as well.

"Water is more difficult because the surface changes constantly, so the user has to make constant chakra adjustments to maintain grip," Shikaku continued. "But once you do it right, you'll not only be able to walk across water, but you'll also be at an advantage in battle if you don't waste chakra. Give it a try."

Shikami and Ethan nodded and Shikami blocked out all thoughts to concentrate his chakra. When he felt that it was about right, he stepped out into the water and went under the surface in an instant. When climbed back to the shore, soaked, and noticed Ethan was about to build up his own chakra again, too.

He gave Shikami a wry grin. "That's about my result each time."

"We'll figure this thing out," Shikami responded.

Ethan's grin widened, and he nodded enthusiastically.

And so went the rest of the morning and then the evening, with a break only for meals and taijutsu practice.

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Okie-dokie, so let's see... About three more weeks has passed in this one chapter, it seems. I'm itching to stop wasting time and just get on with the next main thing, but Shikami and Ethan deserve better - better treatment than that from me, and better ninja skills from training with their sensei, or soon to be senseis, I guess. *sigh*

Anyways, I still wanna hear what chu think, so review! xD


	25. Chapter 25

****

**Mkay, this kinda starts off fast, slows for a bit, quickens up, slows down, etc, taking a relatively large chunk out of time... o.O Enjoy anyways, though, despite the weirdishness. xD**

* * *

Time continued to pass by swiftly. Shikaku worked Shikami and Ethan so hard they hardly had time to remember to breathe. Shikami figured that was the way Shikaku wanted it.

Shikami mastered the walk-on-water technique shortly before Ethan did, and Shikaku started teaching him another shadow jutsu: the Shadow Strangle Jutsu. And Shikami felt a slight and sudden shock to realize that with this jutsu, he could actually end someone's life.

But that was ordinary for ninjas, he reminded himself. And, as Shikaku had taught him, if he wasn't prepared to kill, he would wind up being the killed one.

And if this would help prepare him to get his mom back, he would do it.

He began to learn to master the Shadow Strangle Jutsu.

Almost as soon as Ethan completed the walk-on-water technique the next day, a one-eyed man with silver hair and black eyes (or eye, Shikami supposed, since the other eye was blocked by his headband) showed up and crouched on a tree branch, looking sheepish.

"You're late, as usual," Shikaku told him.

"Uh, sorry. You see, I was supposed to have bad luck today if I got up early, so..." the man started to explain, but Shikaku waved off his excuse.

"Spare me." Shikaku motioned towards Ethan with an incline of his head. "There's your student, Kakashi."

Ethan and Shikami exchanged glances, then Ethan stepped forward and introductions were made. It seemed Ethan's new sensei was called Kakashi Hatake.

After a moment, Shikami tried to tune them out and concentrate on his own training. When he looked around again, he and Shikaku were alone.

Even though Ethan now spent the mornings in another training spot with Kakashi, he returned to train his taijutsu with Shikami in the afternoons. Also, Shikami started playing strategy games once more with Shikaku often. He still couldn't win any, but he got closer to it with every game played.

About another week and a half passed, and Shikami mastered the Shadow Strangle Jutsu and was eagerly looking forward to the next jutsu.

"That's all, kid."

Shikami stared at his sensei. "What?"

"I'm not teaching you any more shadow jutsu, at least for a little while."

Shikami frowned. "Then, you're going to get me to focus mainly on taijutsu?"

Shikaku shook his head. "You'll still be learning that in the afternoon with me and Ethan, but I think you'd be good using genjutsu. I'll teach you the basics myself today, but then you'll get another teacher in the mornings to teach you more advanced genjutsu."

Shikami felt his pulse quicken with anticipation. He was going to learn more about genjutsu! That was one thing in the academy that he felt he hadn't been able to learn about. Even the general idea was vague. And now he was going to be able to learn how to use it for himself.

So the rest of that morning was spent in Shikaku outline in slightly more detail than before the basics of genjutsu – casting it and breaking it.

"Most genjutsu does not need a hand sign to execute," Shikaku said. "Although sometimes you may have to form the basic hand sign for building up chakra in order to effectively cast some forms of genjutsu. Then you send your own chakra into your opponent's mind and take over their five senses. This part must be done quickly and without detection, otherwise there is a greater risk that your opponent will realize they are in a genjutsu and they'll break break it."

Shikaku continued on for a few minutes, then changed direction and started explaining how to release it. Shikami found that he had only been able to release the Ethan illusion because of Shikaku's low level of expertise in the area. To counter higher level genjutsu would be much more difficult.

"Because your mind's chakra is under the control of the genjutsu caster, it's necessary to do two things to break the jutsu," Shikaku explained. "Step one is to cut off your own flow of chakra, and the second step is to disrupt the flow of chakra with a powerful burst of energy within yourself."

Shikami nodded, trying to memorize. This was basically building upon what he had already learned, and he needed to try and remember as much as he could.

"There are times when that won't work, though," Shikaku continued. "There are two other ways. One will only work when your squad members are nearby and unaffected by the genjutsu you see. They can force some of their own chakra into you by touching you, which will disrupt the chakra the genjutsu caster is controlling, thus breaking the genjutsu."

"And the third way?" Shikami asked.

"The last way to break out of a jutsu is to experience pain not caused by the genjutsu's effects. Driving a kunai into yourself, for example, or even just biting your lip hard enough. Pain works in funny ways: sometimes it clouds your mind, and sometimes it can clear it."

Shikami nodded.

"Also, remember this," Shikaku finished. "Only a couple people in the world can kill using genjutsu. Some can cause real severe pain by making the mind think the body is hurting, but for about ninety-five percent of ninja that use genjutsu, all they do is make their target motionless and cause pain up here." Shikaku tapped his head. "They have to have some other way of killing, if they want to cause death."

* * *

"You're going to learn genjutsu? Wow, that's so cool, Shikami!" Ethan said.

The two boys and Rue were sitting in the living room after supper, exchanging news of their day, as they had begun doing recently. Shikami wasn't sure exactly how it got started, or why Rue was included as well, but it was a good, relaxing part of the day that Shikami looked forward to anyways.

Shikami shrugged but grinned.

"Iruka-sensei doesn't tell us much about genjutsu," Rue said, somewhat wistfully. "I don't know why. Maybe because it's more complicated."

Shikami nodded towards her. "That could be. How's your earth jutsu training coming, Ethan?"

Ethan flashed a grin, showing again his chipped tooth. "Wicked cool. Kakashi-sensei is always really late, which is very annoying, but once he got me started, I could practice the jutsu he was teaching me on my own for a bit."

Rue smiled shyly at him, her face turning slightly red as she asked, "What kinds of earth techniques are you learning?"

Ethan's grinned widened. "That's a secret for now, so I can wow everyone later."

Shikami rolled his eyes. "Knowing you, I'm sure we'll be very 'wowed'."

Ethan laughed, and Shikami found himself wondering who his genjutsu sensei would be. He supposed he would find out the next day.

**

* * *

**

**Note: No, Shikami wasn't complaining or anything like that when it says 'or why Rue was included as well'. He was just commenting that he didn't know. xD**

**Anyways, this is leading up to more than one thing. Maybe in the next chapter, I'll be able to insert one of them: another time-filler thought up by Taylor and Amber - those geniuses I've already mentioned before in other chapters' A/Ns. xD**

**With twenty-four chapters previous all saying roughly the same thing right here, you should know what's coming next, right? Right. Review! xDD**


	26. Chapter 26

**Whew. Twas hard to get this typed up for today, but I made it! n.n**

**Please note: I find genjutsu very complicated and vague, as it wasn't really explained much in the series so far as I know. So I'm kind of using some random page that attempts to explain genjutsu, and I'm kind of pulling stuff from my own head. So, if you see anything in here that doesn't seem right, tell me about it and I'll try and look further into it, kayz? ^_^**

* * *

Shikami met his new sensei the next morning, when he usually met Shikaku. She had black hair and red eyes (which were definitely unique, and not only in their color), and she seemed to enjoy wearing bandages as a sort of replacement for normal clothes. She also had a long red sleeve on her right arm.

"I'm Kurenai Yuhi, and starting today, your genjutsu sensei," she said.

"Shikami Nara. Nice to meet you, Kurenai-sensei," Shikami answered.

"Let's get started, shall we?" she replied briskly.

And for the next hour, she deluged him with all sorts of complicated facts that made his head spin, but he tried to take it all in. She explained how genjutsu worked, exactly how to enter your chakra into an opponent's mind, every minute detail about controlling the chakra in their mind, and more.

People casting genjutsu could pick through their targets' immediate thoughts, and their memories, too. This was a crucial talent to develop thoroughly, and quickly.

"The more you are able to search an opponents mind, picking out their weaknesses, the more effective the genjutsu, and the more mental turmoil that is caused," Kurenai told him.

Not all genjutsu was used for a specific person's weakness, though. This was especially true when casting genjutsu on more than simply one person at a time.

"If you make them think you're causing them pain, and you cause enough pain, you've basically won the battle," Kurenai continued. "If you can make your opponent _think_ they've lost, that becomes reality – they lose."

Kurenai swamped him with genjutsu information for about an hour and a half, then she began teaching him some of the genjutsu itself. It was very difficult at first, but once he got a handle on the basics, the rest went somewhat faster.

Then after lunch, Ethan and Shikaku showed up and Kurenai left, leaving them to get traditionally thrashed.

Then once Shikami had gotten his breath back enough, he played a few strategy games against Shikaku. After watching one game, Ethan left, and a few games (and losses) later, Shikami headed off, too.

But not to Kyra's house.

He went to the library.

He quickly located the information he wanted without having to ask for help, and he flipped in a book to a detailed map of the Fire Country. Shikami pulled the note Ethan had found at his house from his pocket and looked at the instructions, running one finger along the page to try and locate the location on the map.

His finger froze.

"Ikari means anger, kid," Hotori had said.

Ikari was also the name of a clan that happened to live exactly where the instructions on the note said for him to go.

Shikami had strongly suspected before, but now there was no doubt: this was a trap. The people who had killed his mom also wanted him for some reason.

He read the note over again. He didn't believe for a moment that they had any good intentions concerning telling him about his mother. But still...

What if they were at least partially telling the truth? What if the ninja in Konoha were hiding something, or editing some part of the story, for some reason?

No. These were his mom's teammates. She had trusted them without reserve.

And Shikami would try and do the same.

* * *

Minus the trip to the library (which Shikami told Ethan about later that same day, but no one else), the next two weeks were spent in the same way: genjutsu training in the mornings, taijutsu training in the afternoons, strategy games in the late afternoons, then after supper came the time of day to just relax and talk with Ethan and Rue – and Shin occasionally, as he interjected his own comments into the conversation from time to time.

Shikami felt his brain working overtime. Genjutsu required a lot more mental energy than physical, and his games with Shikaku only made his mind work that much harder. He had never known before that a person could get so mentally exhausted.

Nor had he known that someone could tell how mentally tired he really felt just by looking at him. But one morning, Kurenai ordered him to take at least twenty-four hours of rest. He wasn't allowed to use any brainpower to even figure out what one plus one equaled. And he was not to even _think_ about picking up a kunai for taijutsu training that afternoon.

Shikami stared at his sensei. "But—" he started to protest.

Kurenai cut him off with a cool, firm look. "Rest when you need it is just as vital as training. Don't overwork yourself, unless you want to wind up in the hospital."

Shikami sighed and nodded. So Kurenai left and Shikami trotted off to find Ethan and watch his training session.

After a few minutes, he located him in a nearby clearing, looking almost like he was practicing taijutsu on empty air. Only, with about half the moves he made, the earth itself seemed to respond somehow. It was pretty fascinating to watch.

Shikami didn't see Kakashi anywhere, which he thought odd until he remembered that Ethan had said he was always late. But then Shikami wondered why a jonin would always run so late each day. Shouldn't they be more responsible?

After about an hour, Kakashi appeared finally in the middle of a small tornado made of leaves.

"I know you always have an excuse ready, so what is it this time?" Ethan asked, sounding half annoyed and half impressed – with his sensei's creative excuses each day, Shikami wondered?

Kakashi laughed sheepishly. "Well, you see, I was on my way here on time, but then there was this crow that turned to look at me. I had to quickly close my eyes so it couldn't make eye contact, and then I couldn't tell when it would be safe to open them again."

Eyes? Only Kakashi's right eye was visible. The excuse was one of the worst Shikami had ever heard, but if Kakashi ran late every time he wanted to do something, Shikami supposed he probably ran out of good options.

Shikami watched Ethan's training for the rest of the morning. Basically, he did the same thing he had done before Kakashi showed up, and the sensei simply sat reading a book. He called out corrections every so often, but Shikami couldn't tell how he could see Ethan's progress as he never so much as glanced up from his book.

Then around noon, Kakashi vanished and left Ethan alone and panting. Shikami walked up to him and Ethan grinned over at him, taking one last deep breath before breathing normally.

"Fancy meeting you here," Ethan said. "What's up; am I late for taijutsu training?"

Shikami shook his head. "Nah, I'm just here because I was banned for a day from any kind of training. Kurenai-sensei thought I needed rest."

"Rest?" Ethan asked in mock surprise, as though he'd never heard the word before. "Who needs such a useless thing?"

Shikami grinned at his friend and they sat down to eat their lunch.

Presently, Ethan spoke again. "It's actually good that you came, although I guess it would be best to wait until tomorrow if you can't do anything at all today."

Shikami raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

Ethan grinned mischievously, and Shikami found himself suddenly glad he couldn't do anything that day. Whatever Ethan had in mind couldn't be good.

**

* * *

**

Wow, this is taking so many chapters to start... xD I seriously thought I'd be able to work it in a few chapters ago, but now I guess we'll have to wait _another_ chapter for my brilliant friends' brilliance to show. xD

**Review now~! xDD**


	27. Chapter 27

**Teeheehee, here we go! Hope you enjoy it. Once again, Taylor and Amber deserve idea credit! xD Taylor suggested Ethan come up with a prank, and Amber decided the general idea for _what_ prank. xDD**

* * *

"Are you ready for today, Shikami?" Ethan asked, mischievously excited. Shikami didn't need to ask why; he had been told the day before.

The two boys had just finished breakfast and were on their way to the forest to begin training. Shikami figured that by the time he got there, the twenty-four hour time limit would have passed, or close enough to it that Kurenai wouldn't send him away for about five minutes to get exact.

"I haven't even agreed to it yet," Shikami protested. "And I doubt I ever will."

Ethan flashed a wicked, chip-toothed grin. "Come on! It'll be tons of fun!"

"Until he wakes up," Shikami muttered.

Ethan continued to grin expectantly.

"He won't be fooled," Shikami added. "He's a jonin, remember?"

"But he's said before himself that he's not good with genjutsu," Ethan said.

"_Casting_ it. Practically everyone is taught how to dispel it."

"So what's the worst he could do? Make us run laps?" Ethan said cheerfully.

Shikami rolled his eyes. "Just because your stamina has increased quickly over the last couple months doesn't mean mine has at the same rate."

It was probably thanks to Ethan's training dealing with the earth techniques as well as taijutsu training that had caused him to be able to last longer than Shikami, who spent about half the day or more training his mind with genjutsu and strategies (games, but still).

"And that just means he'll go harder on me than you," Ethan grinned. "Besides, I was the evil genius that thought it up."

"Why do you want to do this so badly?" Shikami had to ask.

"Because it seems like fun!"

Shikami momentarily couldn't breathe, and he took a deep breath to calm down. That was something he could almost literally hear his mother saying.

"Awesome, I knew I could count on you!" Ethan said, lightly punching Shikami's shoulder.

Shikami blinked, just then realizing that he had nodded his consent. Oops.

He had a strong feeling he was seriously going to regret agreeing to Ethan's plan.

* * *

As soon as his training with Kurenai-sensei had ended and Shikami began to start eating, he reviewed Ethan's 'plan' in his mind.

Ethan wanted Shikami to cast an illusion jutsu on Shikaku during their taijutsu training, putting him to sleep.

"You could even add either a nightmare or pleasant dreams or something if you wanted to," Ethan had suggested innocently.

Phase two of Ethan's oh-so-brilliant idea had been to draw all over his face with permanent marker and take pictures of it to spread around to friends and family.

And that was all, very simple and pointless. It would never work.

But what if it would? Some part of Shikami wondered. He figured that even the effort would get them into trouble. What if they actually succeeded somehow? How would Shikaku react then?

Shikami would be lying to say he wasn't curious, and at least a little bit excited. But even simply the thought of being worked harder made him already tired and sore.

A few minutes later, Ethan appeared in Shikami's clearing. He grinned devilishly. "Almost time."

"I've never actually cast a full-scale genjutsu on a person before, you know," Shikami felt the need to warn him.

"So this will be excellent training," Ethan responded, laughing.

After a while, Shikaku appeared to begin their taijutsu training. Shikami decided to wait until their training got firmly underway before trying to cast the illusion.

He waited, and waited, and began. With as much speed as he could manage, he 'extended his chakra flow through Shikaku's cerebral nervous system', to put it in Kurenai's almost-exact wording.

He dodged a few shuriken, but just barely. Multitasking was such a hassle.

But Shikami now could hear some of Shikaku's thoughts, like another voice in Shikami's head. He listened for a moment, then allowed himself to flow down another chakra current. This part seemed to be Memory Lane.

Shikami supposed he should try and lull Shikaku to sleep with slow, nice thoughts. He tried to feel what Shikaku would need to feel to put him to sleep.

He flipped into the air and stuck to the bottom of a tree branch to avoid several kunai. For the most part, Ethan was trying to keep his attention, so Shikami had a bit more energy to focus on casting the actual illusion part.

Suddenly Shikaku stopped dead in his tracks, inches away from delivering a strong attack to Ethan.

"Uh...?" Ethan raised an eyebrow in bewilderment, and looked over at Shikami, who nodded.

"He's under my genjutsu," Shikami answered.

Shikami envisioned what he was making his sensei see. Shikaku had finished with Shikami and Ethan's training early and was spending a happy, lazy afternoon in the forest with Yoshino. She was giggling and hand-feeding him his favorite foods to eat.

Shikami had seen a memory where Shikaku had told Shikamaru that even Yoshino had her moments, and Shikami felt just how much Shikaku enjoyed those moments. So he created one for his sensei.

Shikaku sat down in the grass, then stretched and lay back, contentedly enjoying a nice and peaceful nap.

Ethan grinned and whipped out his permanent markers – three of them in green, blue, and black.

Shikami shoved his hands into his pockets, expecting Shikaku to jump back up at any moment.

Then Ethan pulled out a camera and tossed it over to Shikami. "As I'm doing this and once I'm done, take pictures of his face at different angles, kay?" he invited.

Shikami sighed and caught the camera, then nodded, going over to his friend and sleeping sensei.

Suddenly, Shikaku seemed to blur and then vanish, starting at his legs and working its way up to his head.

"Uh, Shikami, you doing this?" Ethan asked, blinking.

Shikami frowned and shook his head. He thought he still had Shikaku under his genjutsu, so why did it seem like Ethan and Shikami were now under an illusion as well?

"Unbelievable." Kurenai jumped down from a nearby tree and walked over to them. "Shikami, I am not teaching you genjutsu to be used against another Leaf shinobi, especially your sensei."

Shikami tried not to wince. He wondered why she was here, but he realized immediately that Kurenai had made Shikaku seem to vanish.

Shikami undid the genjutsu for both himself and Shikami, and Shikaku came back into view. No sooner had he done that than he felt his hold on Shikaku snap. The shadow ninja had snapped himself out of the jutsu Shikami put on him and was slowly waking back up.

"Sorry, ma'am," he said.

"It's not Shikami's fault," Ethan said quickly. "I practically forced him into it; it was all my idea."

"That not true," Shikami protested. "Ethan didn't force me to do a thing."

"Be quiet, both of you," Kurenai sighed. "If you have time for practical jokes, you must be feeling bored with your training, wouldn't you think, Shikaku?"

Shikaku blinked rapidly as though trying to clear his head of any remaining genjutsu, then he stood and looked coldly at both boys. "I would definitely say so. See if you can find Kakashi and let him know, would you? We need to step up their training more than one notch."

* * *

"So my idea was a bad one," Ethan confessed hours later in Kyra's living room. Shikami and Ethan were practically immobilized with how hard they'd been pushed that afternoon, and Rue was watching them with wide eyes.

Shikami couldn't tell if she was impressed or felt sorry for them. Maybe it was both, though Shikami didn't see what there was to be impressed about.

"Is this a good time to say I told you so?" Shikami asked Ethan, chest hurting to be saying anything at all.

Ethan smiled wryly. "As good a time as any, I guess."

"I told you so."

**

* * *

**

Mkay, for those of you wondering about, but not keeping track of, my very vague timeline, it's now about in the middle of September. ;P

**And I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to start the next important thingymabob! xDD *crosses fingers for luck***

**Again, I'm no expert in genjutsu, so if the way I'm showing it is wrong, I sincerely apologize... x3;**

**Review time! ;33**


	28. Chapter 28

***squee* And here we are with the next chapter! ^.^ Enjoy~!**

* * *

Kurenai and Shikaku were slave drivers for the next two weeks, and Ethan said Kakashi was, as well, when he finally showed up. Shikami hardly had any time to breathe except as soon as he woke up in the mornings and just before he went to sleep in the evenings.

He woke up and had breakfast, and he and Ethan went to the forest and their individual training clearings. Kurenai worked him then until either lunchtime or until he got a severe headache, and even then she sometimes pushed him past.

Then after a short lunch break, Shikaku showed up and worked Shikami and Ethan like dogs until they passed out or were otherwise unable to move. Most days, Ethan was already extremely tired from his earth training in the mornings, causing him to wear faster than usual.

Some days (very few), Shikami played a thinking game or two with Shikaku, but Shikaku always won easily, as Shikami's brain power had been used up already throughout the day. Eventually, Shikami just stopped even trying, as it never helped his headache in the least.

Then Ethan and Shikami would go to either Kyra's or Aiko's house for supper and soon afterwards collapse in their rooms for an early bedtime.

Then, _that_ day dawned.

"Uh, Shikami? Yo! Earth to space cadet."

Shikami finally glanced over at Ethan, who was sitting next to him at breakfast.

"What are you spacing out over?" he asked.

Shikami shrugged halfheartedly and finished the last of his breakfast. "Nothing; I was just thinking."

Ethan didn't say anything else, but Shikami could feel his friend's eyes on him, waiting for a real answer.

"It's October third," Shikami added.

Ethan seemed to understand immediately. "Tonight after Kyra gets back from her mission, want to ask and see if she'll continue the tradition, or would you rather not hear the story?"

"Nah, it's okay," Shikami said, trying to snap himself out of repeating the story to himself every few seconds. "It'd be interesting to hear another person's version of the story, but I actually have a better idea who to ask, if they're in the village tonight."

"And if we're conscious," Ethan added with a groan. "But who did you have in mind?"

"You'll see," Shikami answered.

So after breakfast had been finished up, the boys left for their training areas. Shikami braced himself for an extremely long day.

* * *

For some reason, Shikaku ended their taijutsu training earlier that day, before Shikami and Ethan had reached their limits. The boys panted hard and waited for the reason.

"I think you're ready to become genin now," Shikaku said.

Shikami's eyes widened, and when he looked over at Ethan, his friend's expression practically mirrored his own, then Ethan broke into a huge grin.

"It's about time!" Ethan cheered.

Shikami took a deep breath to try and slow his panting. _Mom, here I come._

Too bad it wasn't quite that simple. Much as Shikami would've liked to head out that night (if Shikaku thought they were ready to be ninja, Shikami figured he was more than ready for an actual mission), he and Ethan were both physically and mentally exhausted from the nonstop training.

A few days of rest would probably be best, even if Shikami didn't like it.

Shikaku handed the boys Leaf Village shinobi headbands, and Ethan excitedly tied his around his head immediately.

Shikami thought for a moment, then decided what the heck. He tied his around his arm the way his dad had worn his.

"Thanks," Shikami mumbled.

Shikaku studied the boys. His expression clearly said 'Don't thank me yet', but aloud he replied, "We begin our missions tomorrow, and I'm your full-time sensei again. It will be up to you to arrange time with Kakashi and Kurenai if you want to continue your training with them."

Shikami and Ethan nodded, and when Shikaku left, Ethan offered Shikami a high five. Shikami returned it with a small grin.

"So what's the plan now, genius? We're officially ninja now. When do we go after your mom?"

Shikami was grateful for his friend's eager support, even though he was still a little unsure about putting him in danger. However, as Ethan had pointed out months ago, they had always before shared trouble.

"We get some R&R for a few days, but no more than a week if our missions aren't too tough," Shikami answered. "We wouldn't be much use if we walk into a trap when we're not at our best."

Ethan nodded. "Sounds good."

Shikami frowned, then thought aloud. "We'll need weapons for the trip, and food and other supplies. How are we going to get them?"

"Um, say please?" Ethan suggested, though he seemed unsure as well. Then he snapped his fingers. "Being a ninja is a career, right?"

Shikami shrugged, though he could see where Ethan was going with this. "I guess so."

"Then it would only make sense if we get paid for being ninja," Ethan grinned. "And if not, we could spread a petition around to all the genin of Konoha, demanding pay," he laughed.

Shikami smirked. "Let's just hope they already get paid."

* * *

That evening, after supper at Shikami's grandparents' (on his mother's side) house, Shikami asked where Ino and Choji lived. Yudai and Aiko had been somewhat distracted during the meal and neither asked why Shikami wanted to know. They gave him directions to the area of Konoha that housed the Akimichi clan and told him to ask there for more specifics.

When Ethan and Shikami had followed another person's directions to Ino and Choji's place and finally made it there, the stars were shining brightly.

Shikami knocked on the door and, moments later, was face-to-face with a girl who was staring at him like he was an alien.

"Ummm, Mom?" the girl yelled. "You know that picture of your team in the living room?"

"What about it?" The voice that called back was definitely Ino's.

"Is that guy in between you and dad still there? I think he left the picture and is now haunting you!"

Shikami and Ethan sweatdropped.

Ino came into fight finally, frowning. "Inocencia, what are you—" She stopped when she saw who was at the door, and grinned. "If it isn't Shikami and Ethan! I'd heard that you had come to the village, but I've just been so busy I haven't had the time to visit. Forgive me?"

Shikami attempted a grin. "Of course." He hoped it was a good idea after all to come here.

**

* * *

**

And let's call that a good stopping point. xD

**YAY, they're officially ninja now! Woot! 8D And with the lame missions beginner genin get, they'll have plenty of time to chilax. xD**

**Well? *gestures to review button* x3**


	29. Chapter 29

**Wow, this took a while to write... xD; It's kinda longer than usual; hope you like it! ^^**

**(Just FYI- I don't know if Orochimaru died or not in Shippuden. I'm seriously hoping he actually did, but for this story, he didn't.)**

* * *

Ino invited Ethan and Shikami in and within minutes, the entire family plus two had gathered in the living room: Choji, Ino, Inocencia, Chouko, and Chole, and Ethan and Shikami.

Other than Choji, the entire family seemed to consist of girls. Ouch.

Ino set some snacks on a coffee table in the middle of the room and motioned for everyone to dig in. She seemed a bit upset, though, which she had seemed after getting past the initial surprise of seeing the visitors.

Choji, too, seemed somewhat depressed at seeing them. Shikami had a suspicion as to why, and it was confirmed when Choji began with, "Shikami, we're really sorry about your mom."

Ino nodded emphatically. "If we'd known this would happen..." Her voice quivered and she stopped.

Shikami shook his head. "You didn't know. It's okay; I don't blame you."

Their guilty conscience seemed to ease a little, though definitely not completely.

Then Ino asked, "So, if I may ask, what brings you here? Anything special?"

Ethan stayed quiet. Shikami sighed inwardly and supposed he was right – this was Shikami's request to make, not Ethan's.

"Do you think maybe you could tell me about my dad's last few days? It was kind of a tradition each year on this day, even if I only recently found out my parents were the main characters," he said.

Choji and Ino exchanged glances and Shikami mentally slapped himself. He wouldn't doubt that his dad's teammates still had at least a little bit of a guilty feeling left over even after all these years. After all, if they really were the squad members mentioned in the story, they had been practically right there when it had happened.

This had been a bad idea. Shikami started to say something to the effect of 'forget it' or 'I'm sorry', but Choji spoke first.

"Sure, Shikami. Let's see, where to start?"

Ethan and the three girls stayed silent, listening and not interrupting. Shikami decided he'd do the same.

"Our squad was assigned to escort some VIP back to his home," Ino began. "The mission went without hassle until it seemed to have been completed."

_~Flashback~_

Screams sounded outside the VIP's home, along with several loud crashes. Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji jumped to their feet and ran out. What they saw was several men running through the streets towards the place the Leaf ninja were standing. They seemed to enjoy making a mess of anything even relatively breakable as they ran by.

"They must be here for the Beauty of Nature!" the client shouted, looking seriously panicked. "You have to stop them! Please!"

"Shikamaru?" Choji asked, looking to his best friend.

"It's close enough within the scope of our mission," Shikamaru decided. "And even if it wasn't, it'd be wrong to just do nothing."

Ino and Choji nodded in determination. Within seconds, Shikamaru had formulated a brilliant strategy for keeping whatever the 'Beauty of Nature' was out of the enemy's hands. Their client pointed out where the treasure was kept and the squad quickly headed that way, knocking out the enemy whenever it was convenient.

When they got to the room with the Beauty of Nature, the three scoured the room for it but found only a small object shaped like a bowl. The room was deserted, though they expected the enemy to burst in on them at any moment. Unless...

"Did they already get the Beauty of Nature?" Ino asked worriedly.

Shikamaru stared at the bowl. "I think this is it."

Choji gave him a skeptical look. "No way. It looks like an everyday thing! Someone was probably eating out of it and forgot it here."

Shikamaru shook his head. "Nope, this is it. I remember seeing something about it in one of my mom's magazines once a couple years ago."

Ino quirked an eyebrow. "Now that you mention it—"

She was suddenly cut off by one of the walls being torn down. The three readied themselves for the attack.

An evil chuckle sounded as they dust from the collapsed wall settled down. "Step aside, please, and let me see my prize."

All three members of the squad thought the same thing at the same moment: Orochimaru.

"Not a chance!" Choji scoffed.

A few ninja stood behind the snake man, waiting for his command to attack. When no one seemed to have anything more to say, Orochimaru gave the command.

Orochimaru himself never did a single thing in the battle, but Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji had their hands full anyways. In spite of Shikamaru's strategy (which worked, but not with the effects he had hoped for), they began to lose. And even if they knocked down a single enemy, another simply took its place. It was frustrating.

And extremely tiring. Time passed, and each of the Leaf shinobi grew more and more tired and wounded. Soon it was a miracle none of the three had lost consciousness. Orochimaru simply watched with a cocky, infuriating smile, calling up more expendable men each time one was killed.

Then a kunai was driven straight through Shikamaru's heart.

"NO!" Ino screamed.

Choji batted the enemy away with a quick and deadly (and very large) backhand and did his best to keep the enemy at bay while Ino dropped to her knees and rapidly tried healing him.

"Shikamaru, you _will not_ die on us!" Ino ordered. "What on earth will we tell Kaida? Get _up_!"

No good. Choji nearly killed himself as well trying to protect them, but the enemy pushed past him and grabbed the Beauty of Nature, then took off. Choji pitched forward into unconsciousness, and Ino was left with a dead teammate and another teammate that was one step away from it, not to mention her own critical wounds.

* * *

The next day, Ino had patched herself and Choji up as well as she could in a short amount of time, and they were getting ready for a quick departure back to the village.

"We're sorry we couldn't protect your treasure," Choji told the client, but most of his attention was on the coffin that held his best friend's body.

The client sighed. "I guess I'll just have to make another one, then. Jeez, I wish people would just quit stealing and breaking it."

Ino didn't comment, simply nudged her husband and the two left for Konoha.

* * *

Delivering the news to all of Konoha was bad enough, but to Shikamaru's wife was the hardest thing Ino and Choji had ever done.

Her initial reaction was to not believe them. Then she begged for every last detail, though some of which they couldn't tell her, as parts of the mission had been labeled classified.

And finally, she practically fell apart. She never shed a single tear as far as anyone was aware, but she never smiled, let alone laughed, starting then.

Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari were invited to the funeral, and it began when they could arrive (though no one expected the Kazekage to actually come, regardless of the invitation extended).

Once, as Ino watched, Gaara went up to Kaida and placed a hand on her shoulder. Ino couldn't hear the whispered words, but it looked like he simply said "I'm sorry." Kaida began to tremble, but she otherwise held herself together. Still no smile, though.

Then around the end of October, Ino was assigned to work in the hospital for a while. It wasn't uncommon, but what _was_ uncommon was that Kaida was checked into the hospital. The woman had detested doctors (with Ino, Sakura, and Tsunade as the only exceptions) and hospitals with a passion for just about as long as she'd been alive. But this time she cooperated with Ino in everything she asked, so long as it was a professional request and not a personal one.

Ino bit her nails as she studied Kaida's health sheet. Her wounds from her latest mission were healing at the normal rate, so that was good. But Ino worried about her friend's mental health. She wouldn't actually...?

No. Kaida wouldn't do something like that. Still, something had to be done.

Then something around the bottom of the paper hit Ino like a slap in the face. When she got over the shock, she decided that if anything would snap Kaida out of it, this would.

Ino stormed into Kaida's hospital room and slammed the clipboard with the health sheet in front of her. Kaida barely looked up.

"How long do you intend to do this to yourself?" Ino demanded. "It's hard losing people we love, sure. But it's insulting their memory to mope around all day, every day."

Pain flashed across Kaida's face. Ino's idea was working so far.

"Quit depending on Shikamaru; he's gone. But there are others who depend on you, and you have to be strong for them. Look. At. _This_." Ino knew her words were harsh, but it seemed to be taking the effect she had intended.

Kaida glanced down at her health sheet and scanned it. Ino knew the moment she saw it because her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand.

Ino softened her tone. "You're going to have a baby, Kaida. Someone needs you. Are you going to let this child down?"

Ino watched Kaida bite her lip, hard enough to draw blood. Then she took a deep breath at looked back up at Ino. Determination flashed in her eyes once again. "No."

_~End Flashback~_

The room fell silent when Ino finished telling the last part. Shikami glanced around, trying to gauge everyone's reactions.

Ino and Choji had grasped hands midway through the story, and they seemed saddened by the reminder of what had happened.

The three girls were staring at their parents in wonder. It didn't look like they'd ever heard the story before.

Ethan's eyes were wide and he stared at a random spot on the wall. Shikami couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he wondered if his friend was wrestling with trying to believe the story.

And himself? Shikami felt like someone had carved out his heart and thrown it in the trash. It was the first time he had heard this story from another person's point of view, and the first time it had used real names. He didn't know who the Sand ninja were, nor had he ever met Sakura, but he knew everyone in the story had been real. Especially his dad.

Shikami stood, and Ethan snapped out of his trance to do so as well.

"Thank you for telling me," Shikami said. "I really appreciate it. And I don't blame you two for any of it," he felt the need to add. "You did everything you could."

He and Ethan left.

**

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**

*sigh* Why must everything told about the past be so sad? -.-

**Kaida: Gee, I wonder. You're the one in control of it all. =_=**

**Kaiti: Meh, I'm not too happy with how the flashback turned out, but I think it's at least better than how it was when I only had Ino and Choji talking about it. =/**

**Ah well. Once I've published the chapter, those kinds of opinions are up to you, dearest readers! xD So review for meh, please? =3**


	30. Chapter 30

**Let's start off with another unnecessary yet perhaps somewhat interesting bad guy scene, shall we? xD Enjoy!**

* * *

"My lord." The speaker was a woman who appeared in a room with a man sitting on a throne. She crouched (bowed, really) in front of him, one knee and fist resting on the floor.

"Speak," he commanded.

"I was just informed that the boy and his friend have officially become ninja," she said, speaking quickly with a trace of nervousness in her voice, as though she was afraid the man would punish her if she didn't deliver her news quickly enough. "It is to the understanding of my sources that the boy intends to come here when he feels rested. And we are almost certain that his friend intends to tag along."

The man on the throne let out a low "Hmmmm..." After a moment or two of silence, he said, "Why are you not completely certain? Would you dare inform me falsely?"

The woman gulped. "No, sir. I shall tell my team to gather more facts next time, rather than guesses."

"If there is a next time."

The cool threat made the woman quake where she knelt. She dared not speak.

The man waved his hand, dismissing her. "Go. Watch over the boy and make sure nothing stands in his way as he journeys here. However, his friend is meaningless to me, as he has completed his task of delivering my message. Feel free to kill him."

The woman smiled prettily, trying not to swallow her previous fear or at least not show it. "My lord?"

The man grunted questioningly.

"May I make a pet of him?"

"Do as you will. But remember: No harm shall befall our guest's son. If he does not make it here in one piece, you know who will be responsible."

She shuddered visibly, her fear seizing her once again in full force. "Understood, my lord." She exited the room.

* * *

"You have _g__ot_ to be _j__oking_," Ethan said slowly.

Shikami and Ethan were standing on a bridge near the center of Konoha, waiting for their first mission as genin. Shikaku had just appeared and told them they were going to be walking dogs.

"We're ninja!" Ethan continued. "This is something _normal_ kids do for summer jobs!"

Shikaku waited coolly until Ethan seemed to be waiting for a response. "You're beginner ninja, so you get D-ranked assignments to start out," he said firmly.

Shikami sighed and stretched, trying to rid his muscles of their stiffness. He had gotten very little sleep the night before, going over Ino and Choji's version of the annual story of his dad's death all night in his mind. Add little sleep to exhaustion from recent tough training, and that equaled to a very tired Shikami.

He was glad their mission would be an easy one.

They met with the client and snapped leashes on his dogs. Then they walked through the woods of Konoha for more than an hour before the dogs showed signs of tiring. Shikaku decided then that they should go back.

Afterwards, another D-ranked mission was assigned to them: painting a fence. Shikami's arms were already tired just thinking about it, but the fence turned out not to be too tall, nor did it cover a very large area. Between the three people in 'Team Shikaku' (as Shikaku said it had been named), they had it done quickly.

Several more chores followed, with a short break for lunch in between two of them. They had just finished grocery shopping when Shikaku decided to call it a day. Team Shikaku gathered in the Hokage's office then, and Naruto gave them pay for their successful missions.

"Dude, I told you we'd get paid for this," Ethan told Shikami, grinning. Shikami rolled his eyes, though he was grateful. This would definitely make preparing for their future journey easier.

"So does money make accepting boring missions easier?" Shikami teased as they walked out of the Hokage's building.

Ethan thought for a moment, then grinned and shook his head. "Nope. I still want a real mission."

Shikaku frowned at Ethan but didn't say anything about it. Instead he simply told them, "We meet back at the bridge at the same time tomorrow for our next set of missions. And you take what you can get; don't try and cause trouble."

"Wait, um, Shikaku-sensei?" Shikami said just before his grandpa would have walked away. "I want to play more strategy games again."

Ethan poked him. "We've only got about an hour before sunset. Just thought I'd let you know."

Shikami nodded. "So I have an hour before going back to Kyra's. I want to try and learn all I can."

Shikaku studied him in that nerve-racking way of his, as though he could read Shikami's mind. Shikami tried to stay absolutely still and ooze with truthfulness and innocence. He had a bad feeling he just looked even guiltier; although, if Ethan's reaction (or lack thereof) was anything to go by, Shikami did just look natural.

So Shikami followed Shikaku home and Ethan decided to tag along just because. Tired though Shikami had been at first, their missions had actually woken him up a bit. Shikaku still won each game, but Shikami again got closer to winning each time. Their hour was up all too soon, and the boys headed back to Kyra's house for supper.

Then afterwards, Rue and Ethan and Shikami sat in the living room and exchanged stories of their day. Ethan had a way of describing each mission that had Rue nearly doubled over in fits of laughter throughout almost the entire thing. He seemed to find something funny, or even just pathetic to the point of sympathetic laughter, in each mission.

Shikami found himself grinning most of the way as well, listening to his friend's account of their day. But he also found himself thinking about his mom.

Only a few more days separated him from leaving to find her. If the missions continued to be easy the way they were that day, Ethan and Shikami would be completely rested in no time.

He tuned back into Ethan and Rue's conversation and laughter, mentally asking his mom to stay alive just a bit longer.

That night, sleep simply would not find him again. So he groped around in the dark room and turned on a small reading light. He pulled a notebook and pencil from the desk in his room and began making a list of the supplies he and Ethan would need.

Food, weapons, and a map seemed to be the necessities. Oh, and something for starting a fire. Sleeping bags and perhaps a tent would make nice additions, though Shikami supposed they could do without if they didn't have the money. Shikami added a couple other necessities and then went back and scanned his list again.

Just to pass time, he jotted down a few other items that might be nice to have though unnecessary. By the time he finished, his eyes were getting heavy. He flipped the light off and crawled into bed, and this time, sleep claimed him.

**

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*counting down the days just like Shikami* xD;

**And, whether you caught it or not, yes, Shikami still has a bit of a problem with calling Shikaku his grandpa. A lot of it is probably due to Shikaku's role as a kind of antagonist, definitely not supporting him finding his mom.**

**Review time~! ^.^**


	31. Chapter 31

***squee* Bye-byez, time wasting days! xDD**

**Anyways, hope you like this chapter! x3**

* * *

The next few days slowly piled onto one another to make nearly a full week. With each day that passed, more missions were accomplished and Shikami and Ethan were granted time to recover from their previous training. With each mission that was completed, Shikami and Ethan received more money to fund their trip.

One day, Shikami and Ethan finally used about seventy-five percent of it for the things they needed for the trip. They were unsure how long they would be travelling, and having Shikami's mom with them on the way back would make an extra mouth to feed, so the amount of food they bought seemed a bit lacking at first. However, as Shikami pointed out, they would want to travel light, and there was bound to be towns nearby where they could buy more food if needed.

Rather than risk questions by lugging everything they bought through the front door, Shikami entered the house and went straight to his room so Ethan could pass him the items through his window.

"Shikami?"

Shikami stopped, trying not to stiffen, at Kyra's voice. "Yes, ma'am?"

Kyra emerged from her room and glanced over at him. She smiled and continued, "I got you and Ethan some new outfits today. Since you're ninja now, everyday clothes might not be the best for missions. Yours are on your bed, and Ethan's are on his."

That was all? Shikami relaxed, though he wasn't quite sure what he had actually been expecting. "Thank you. I'll be sure to let Ethan know when he comes in."

It seemed to be on the tip of Kyra's tongue to ask where Ethan was at that moment, but she refrained and ducked back into her own room.

Breathing a quick sigh of relief, Shikami finally made it to his room. He closed the door behind him and went to the window, glancing over at his bed on his way. Compared to what he was used to, the style was... unique. He decided to go with unique.

But compared to what most ninja wore, it was normal with some differences.

Shikami was no expert on clothes; besides, to see more about the outfits, he'd have to give them more than a passing glance.

He opened the window for Ethan.

"Finally," Ethan said in an exaggerated whisper. "Get lost?" He handed in some of the bags, which Shikami accepted and placed against the wall.

"No. Kyra just stopped me for a moment to tell me about some new outfits she got for us," Shikami answered. He pulled more bags in and placed them with the first few. "Mine are on my bed, and yours are in your room, she said."

When the last of the purchases had been handed in, Ethan walked around to enter using the front door, even though he seemed to have wanted to go in through the window. Less than a minute later, Ethan entered Shikami's room and closed the door behind him, and the boys got busy packing everything into the two backpacks they had bought.

"When do we leave?" Ethan asked presently, strapping his rolled-up sleeping bag to the bottom of his backpack.

"Tomorrow night," Shikami said, storing his share of their leftover money in a pocket of his backpack. "Midnightish."

"You got it," Ethan said, flashing a grin that showed his chipped tooth. He stood and slung his backpack over one shoulder. "I'm going to take this to my room and see what Kyra got me for clothes. Her taste in outfits looks a lot different from my mom's," he laughed.

Shikami smirked and watched him leave, then stood and let curiosity win over. He took a closer look at what Kyra had gotten him.

A lot of his had a strange symbol in at least one place on each one. It looked like a No Smoking sign, but without the cigar in the center. Suddenly Shikami snapped his fingers, recognizing its significance. It was the symbol of the Nara clan.

There were a couple other things among the clothes that Shikami recognized as ninja must-haves. One was a pouch to be strapped at the waist. Shikaku had stored weapons in it, and once or twice he had pulled out a scroll to read from to give his ninja lesson before Shikami and Ethan split up for other senseis' teachings.

He pulled some smaller supplies (mostly weapons and paper bombs and the like) from his backpack and stored them in the pouch. Then he laid the pouch next to his backpack.

Another item not merely clothing seemed like another pouch, this one longer and thinner, with a strap for attaching to the leg. Shikami put a few kunai and senbon needles in it and tossed it next to the backpack and first pouch.

More stuff, apparently extras, included gloves (both with and without fingers) and bandages (along with a note that said some ninja wrapped them around arms or legs or waists as a fashion statement).

Shikami stored one set of clothes in his backpack and put the others away in his closet and some drawers.

Now he just needed to keep the entire plan and purchases a secret until he and Ethan could sneak out the next night.

* * *

The next day passed by the same as the days preceding: boring, community service missions followed by a meal and then exchanging the day's events with Rue. She seemed quieter that evening for some reason, but Shikami didn't comment. He was probably imagining it, as to him the entire day had seemed more sober than others.

Then that night, when the entire house was quiet, Shikami changed from his pajamas into an outfit Kyra had gotten. It consisted of a mesh t-shirt under a dark green, short-sleeved t-shirt with a grey Nara clan symbol on the back. He tied his shinobi headband to his arm over one of the sleeves, then slipped on over that a black jacket. The nights had been getting cooler lately, and he also didn't want to stand out in bright clothing as he sneaked off. His pants, too, were black, and Shikami attached the two ninja tool pouches to their places on his leg and waist. Lastly, he slipped on shoes often seen worn by ninja, plus dark gloves that actually had fingers, and he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Just before midnight, Shikami heard a soft tap on his door. It was Ethan, also dressed in some of the darker clothing Kyra had provided so as not to stand out. He looked more than ready to go.

"Ready?" Ethan asked in a whisper. Shikami nodded and Ethan said, "Let's do this, then."

The boys climbed out of Shikami's window and tiptoed along the side of the house, going as quickly and quietly as they could.

They had just passed Rue's window when it opened and Rue stuck her head out in the dark night. "Couldn't sleep?" she whispered.

Shikami cringed, but Ethan answered for them both.

"Nah. For some reason our eyes just won't shut. What are you doing up so late?" Ethan whispered back.

Rue climbed out of her own window, reached back into her room, and slung a backpack over her shoulder. Shikami realized that she was fully dressed, too.

"Planning on going with you," Rue responded.

"Going with us? We're meeting Shikaku-sensei for some training that will only work well at night!" Ethan protested, still in a whisper. "We're taking our backpacks with us because, um, we plan on being gone all night."

Rue didn't seem to be fooled.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," she said. "I've known about this plan for a while now. Boys really are no good at keeping secrets."

Shikami wondered if anyone else knew, or if Rue had been spying on them at times when he and Ethan talked about going to find Shikami's mom.

"If you leave, you know you'll never be allowed back in, right?" Rue warned.

"Fully aware," Ethan said confidently.

"Once we find my mom, there will be no reason for us to come back," Shikami added, whispering as well. "Sure, being a ninja is something to be proud of, but the only reason I ever became one in the first place was to find Mom. She'll still be allowed in the village, since she didn't leave without permission; so if she wants, she can still be a ninja for this place. But I don't care if I can't return once I've gotten her back."

Rue was silent for a while, and Shikami wished it weren't so dark. He wanted to see her face to try and gauge what she was thinking.

"Most squads put together for missions consist of three or four ninja. And many teams contain two boys and one girl," Rue finally said. "Adding me would make sense. I know a lot about how to be a ninja, and I was pretty good in taijutsu class, too. I'd be a help, really."

Ethan groaned. "Shikami, this is your plan, so you get to decide whether or not to add her."

Shikami frowned. "If you come with us, you'll never be able to come back, either. You'll probably never be able to see your family again."

Shikami thought she saw Rue lift a shoulder in a half shrug, but in the dark he wasn't sure.

"I don't care. You're taking me with you, like it or not."

Shikami got the feeling she was trying to sound braver than she actually was. But why would she want to go with them at all? He couldn't think of any reasons, but he finally gave in.

"We're wasting time arguing," he decided. "If you're serious about coming along, consider yourself added to the team. But don't say we didn't warn you."

Rue stepped closer to the two boys, and there was no mistaking her grin. "Great. You won't be sorry."

Shikami seriously hoped not.

The three of them headed off, leaving the sleeping village of Konoha behind and walking briskly towards the place they needed to go, Shikami estimated from the map he'd memorized. Come daylight, he could pull it out for more exact directions.

**

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**

Haha, sorry if the description of the clothes got a bit boring. I wasn't sure how to put it in in a smaller description, but it seemed wrong to just skip it. x3; I'm no expert on clothes, though, so I guess I couldn't've gone too overboard if I'd tried... xD

*legasp* Can chu believe I've been updating for a full thirty days straight? o3o It's totally a big-time personal record for me! 8DD

**ANYWAYS, just ignore my rambling and listen to this part: Please leave a review for meh! xD**


	32. Chapter 32

**It is time for... (*drumroll*) ...MAH NEXT CHAPETAH! 8D**

**xDD Hope you like!**

* * *

Shikami sat up and rubbed his eyes in irritation. Why did the sun have to get up so early?

He glanced around and blinked in confusion. Rue was asleep in a nearby sleeping bag, and a third sleeping bag was empty. Where on earth was Shikami, and why?

Then slowly, the night before came back to him. After about an hour or two of walking semi-briskly away from Konoha, he had decided that he, Rue, and Ethan were far enough away and should rest for the few hours left before sunrise.

He didn't even have time to wonder where Ethan had gone before he walked into Shikami's line of vision, carrying some sticks to restart the fire from the night before, or earlier that morning, whichever.

Ethan grinned, his chipped tooth showing again. "Good morning, Shikami," he said, though in a low tone so as not to wake Rue.

"Morning," Shikami responded.

In a few minutes, Shikami and Ethan had the fire going again and were beginning to cook breakfast. Rue stirred, then sat up and stretched.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Ethan told her cheerfully. Rue blushed and didn't respond, fiddling with the edge of her sleeping bag.

Soon after they were finished eating, they broke camp and set off.

Shikami pulled his map out of his backpack, unrolled it, and began to study it. "Kyra said the trip to Keilah was supposed to take two days," he said, thinking aloud. "They went one day and set up camp, then it took a few hours of hiking in the night to get to the Ikari clan's whatever-you-call-it—"

"Home? Hideout?" Ethan supplied.

Shikami nodded and ran his finger across the map, stopping at a spot that seemed halfway between Konoha and Keilah. "They took an indirect route there, but it still probably would've taken them a little more than a day to get there. That means it will probably take us even longer, but I'm not sure how much longer."

"Why couldn't we get there just as quickly?" Rue wanted to know.

"Your mom and mine and Hotori are all jonin, so they have the speed and stamina that we don't," Shikami explained. "They could probably go a full day at a pace that would've left us in the dust at the starting point, even if we ran our fastest. And we might also have to take breaks every now and then because we're not used to stuff like this."

"Our tough training with Kurenai-, Kakashi-, and Shikaku-senseis would help, though, wouldn't it?" Ethan asked.

Shikami silently motioned to Rue with his head and Ethan clamped a hand over his mouth.

Rue noticed. "You don't have to go easy on my account," she said, lifting her chin. "I can keep up with you both."

"If we were to go faster, it would eventually take its toll on Ethan and me, too," Shikami told her. "We want to be at our best by the time we reach the Ikari clan, and that won't happen if we tire ourselves by pushing our pace." There. Nothing he'd said was a lie.

It might be true that part of the reason he was setting a walking pace instead of anything faster was because of Rue's lack of intensive training like Ethan and Shikami had gone through, and Shikami was definitely anxious to get to his mom. And he hadn't easily agreed to let Rue tag along.

However, she had grown up in the ninja world, unlike Shikami and Ethan. Sure, she had never gone on any missions, but she would still probably be good to have around. Besides, the reason he'd said aloud was also the truth.

Rue didn't try to argue, but Shikami wasn't sure if she was convinced yet. He didn't know what else to say to try and convince her, though, so he just stayed quiet.

After a while, Ethan started up a conversation unrelated to the previous one. He soon had both Rue and Shikami joining in, talking and laughing.

In spite of the carefree atmosphere, Shikami couldn't help but feel both grateful and anxious. Ethan had run away from home to deliver a message about Shikami's mom, and he had broken the rules and left Konoha to help Shikami get his mom back. And Rue had given up her home, family, and future to help Shikami and Ethan.

And they had done it as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Shikami hoped that their unofficial mission would be a success. To put it mildly, it would be really bad if anything were to happen to Ethan and Rue while they had placed themselves in danger for Shikami.

Also, even though Shikami was looking forward to finding his mom, he was starting to dread it, too. What if he was wrong? What if Kyra and Tsunade and Shikaku and all the others were right? What if his mom really was dead? The entire past few months of training and planning would have been in vain.

After all, how slim were the chances that the enemy really _had_ used senbon needles to fake her death? Slim to none. And why pretend to kill her, anyways? Was she really that important to these Ikari people?

Shikami felt so close to touching the truth, but he was nervous about stretching his hand forward any farther. He didn't want the truth to mean that his mom really was dead.

The trio continued walking and talking all day, with one short pause at noon for lunch. A few times, they passed towns, but they didn't stop.

Around sunset, they stopped and built a fire to cook supper. Then, at the protests that neither Ethan nor Rue was tired, Shikami consented that it would be okay to keep walking for a little longer. The moon and stars lit their way.

Soon enough, they set up camp and tried to fall asleep.

* * *

Shikami stretched and opened his eyes, blinking at the sudden light. As his eyes adjusted, he looked around and saw Rue still sleeping, as the morning before, and Ethan was nowhere to be seen.

No, wait, there he came, with a pile of sticks like the morning before. Shikami stretched again. "Morning," he said.

"Morning," Ethan returned cheerfully.

Once again, as he and Ethan set up breakfast, Rue woke up and soon enough began helping.

Shikami pulled out his map when he had finished eating to judge how far they'd come, even though he had a pretty good idea anyways. The day before, the last town they had seen was Anea, which meant they had covered about a quarter of the distance.

Ethan tugged the map from Shikami's hands, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his own bag. "Relax, dude. You've looked at that thing so many times I bet you have it memorized by now."

Ethan probably had no idea how right he was.

"We'll get there soon enough," Rue added. "And when we do, it'll be a quick, simple task to get in and get back out with your mom. We're kids. Do you have any idea how often kids are overlooked?"

Shikami grinned and accepted the hand Ethan offered him to haul him to his feet. "I'm a quick learner. Let's get going."

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*hums and begins working on next chapter* n.n

***takes precious few seconds from writing to point to review button* ;D**


	33. Chapter 33

**And, cue the action! ;D**

* * *

The rest of the day and the next were spent much like the first. Shikami, Ethan, and Rue walked all day and even a couple hours into the night, stopping only for meals and, once, to buy some more food as they passed one of the towns.

Then the fourth day dawned.

"We should be able to get there just before sunset today, if we keep up this pace," Shikami said soon after lunch. "And if we sneak in at night, there should be less of a chance that someone will see us."

Rue and Ethan nodded.

"Hey, Rue, have you ever met Ms. Kaida?" Ethan asked.

Rue smiled shyly and shook her head. "No, I've only seen her from a distance, when she came back to Konoha over the summer. Mom talked a lot about her best friend, though, so I feel like I know a lot about her. I can't wait to actually meet her."

Shikami simply grinned in response, trying not to show any of the doubts that had been nagging at him.

Suddenly, someone or something hopped out of nowhere and pounced on Rue, pulling her away from the boys. She shrieked, but the person responded by holding a kunai at her throat.

"Keep quiet, brat, before you give me a headache," the man ordered. He looked over at the two boys, who had taken a defensive position, hands halfway to where they kept their weapons.

"Let go of her!" Ethan ordered.

"What do you want with her?" Shikami added.

"Nothing at all," the man growled. "It's you we want; the girl is just a way of getting to you. So do as I say or she dies."

In spite of the tension of the moment, Shikami couldn't help but think how lamely sudden it all was, going from laughter to fear and tension. Why had the enemy chosen this exact moment to act?

He tried to push it out of his mind and concentrate. There was little doubt that the man wouldn't follow through with his threat. The blade had already drawn blood at Rue's throat. Neither Shikami nor Ethan could afford to get distracted.

"Why do you want us?" Ethan demanded.

The man glared at them. "That's not for me to say. However, just continue on your way, the way you were going before."

"If you want us to go that way anyways, why did you attack?" Shikami asked, though he began to do as ordered and nudged Ethan to do the same, even though he looked ready to pounce on the guy.

"Call it insurance," the man muttered. "No more questions; just keep going! And keep your hands at your sides. Any funny stuff and the girl meets her doom."

It was hard walking in front of the man and Rue, unable to keep an eye on them to make sure he didn't hurt Rue badly. Shikami noticed that Ethan glared at each tree that they passed, as though they had had something to do with the surprise attack. They had, Shikami supposed, though it wasn't exactly their choice, being inanimate and all.

Shikami tried to think clearly. If they kept the pace they were at now (which was faster than how they were doing before), they should arrive at the Ikari place in perhaps about two or three hours - two or three hours of agonizing silence. And before then, more of the enemy might show up.

Shikami shivered slightly at a cool breeze that passed by and a thought hit him. He could make his teeth chatter in Morse code and talk to Ethan that way.

Too bad neither boy knew Morse code.

Stop wasting brain power, Shikami told himself sternly. He needed to think of a way out of this. Another sideways glance at Ethan made Shikami realize he had even less time than he thought. If something didn't happen soon, his friend was going to do something rash.

Genjutsu. Maybe he could cast an illusion on the man and get him to let go of Rue. Although, one wrong move, just one mistake, and Rue was dead.

Shikami breathed in, then let it out in a slow exhale. He tried to slow his thoughts and concentrate on his chakra. It was tricky to keep concentrating and moving forward at the same time. He didn't want to run into any trees.

He imagined himself plunging into his chakra network and flowing with it. Then he started, little by little, sending chakra from his mind behind him. And finally, with a sudden burst of speed, he plunged it into the man's mind and swiftly took control of the chakra in his mind.

So far, so good. Nobody seemed to realize anything different at all.

Now to see what made the man tick, so Shikami could try and figure out how to best fool him. He concentrated first on the man's immediate thoughts and intentions.

Dragging Rue along with him and threatening the boys was way too boring for him. He would have much preferred killing them all by now. Only orders from higher up stopped him.

What were his orders? Shikami searched carefully for the answer in the man's memories.

Shikami was wanted by the head boss for something. The man, probably being a simple pawn, didn't know why. Ethan was wanted by a lady for a pet of sorts, it seemed. The same woman had ordered this man to use Rue as leverage for getting Ethan and Shikami to behave.

Shikami needed to calm the man down. Giving him mental turmoil would only increase his rage. People sleepwalked a lot. Could people also genjutsuwalk, or genjutsuattack? Shikami didn't want to find out.

The minutes ticked by as Shikami tried searching for a weakness. Meanwhile, Ethan seemed to get more impatient with each passing second. Before Shikami could try and calm him down somehow, too, he jerked his hands up in front of himself and made rapid hand motions.

"Ethan, no!" Shikami muttered. He knew Ethan could hear him, but he did nothing to show that he _had_ actually heard.

"You asked for it!" the man said at the same time, getting ready to slice Rue's head off. A sudden wall of earth jerked up between the man and Rue, forcing his arm with the kunai to follow the rest of his body.

Shikami could tell that to effectively push its way between the two, the wall of earth was pretty thin. His observation was confirmed when the man burst through it like it was made of paper. It looked like it had only worked in the first place because it had taken the man by surprise.

Shikami caught the man in a Shadow Possession Jutsu, but it didn't seem like he was strong enough. The man struggled against the jutsu and it was all Shikami could do to hold him in place.

"Rue, run! Ethan, both of you get away from here!" Shikami ordered.

"What about you?" Rue asked, running up to them.

"I'll catch up," Shikami promised. "I'm wanted alive, remember?"

"Dead would work, too, actually, if it came to that," the man yelled, still trying (and, to a certain extent, succeeding) to break the shadow's hold on him. Shikami ignored him other than continuing to attempt to hold him in one place.

"I'm staying with you," Ethan said.

Rue nodded. "Me too, then."

Shikami shook his head. "A ninja must never question their leader," he said, quoting one of the shinobi rules. "You two put me into that role by coming along to help get my mom back; now do as I say!"

Ethan looked ready to argue, and Rue, with one hand pressed against the cuts on her neck, looked close to giving way to tears. But Shikami locked eyes with Ethan, and a wordless exchanged passed between them. Ethan put his hand on Rue's back and steered her towards the general area of the Ikari home. They soon broke into a run.

Ethan had Shikami's map, and Shikami had it memorized. They would be able to meet back up eventually.

Shikami turned his attention back to the man caught in his Shadow Possession Jutsu, bent on finishing this quickly, one way or another, and making good on his promise to catch up to the other two.

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Taylor, lemme know if I portrayed Rue right or if I showed her to be too weak; I want to make sure to keep her in character! ;3

**And now, everyone, review once more! xD**


	34. Chapter 34

**Yayz, another chapter! 8D**

**FYI, the parts italicized, or however you spell it, are what the bad guy is seeing in Shikami's genjutsu. ;3**

**Enjoy! 83**

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Shikami had more than one option here. The man was still more or less immobilized by Shikami's Shadow Possession Jutsu, so Shikami continued to try and hold him in place while he thought.

He could use the Shadow Strangle Jutsu. But he didn't want to kill. What gave him the right to take a life? Sure, the man had had no problems with trying to kill Rue, but if Shikami made his decision based on that alone, how was he any better than the bad guys? Shikaku would probably tell him not to hesitate in killing his opponent, but Shikami still didn't like that option.

He could lull him to sleep with good memories in a genjutsu. He would need more time and concentration to find something good in this man's mind of pure fear and hatred, though. He might need more time than he actually had.

He stepped closer to the man, forcing him to step closer as well. Shikami's grip tightened with each step nearer.

Now that Rue was no longer in the man's grasp, he could try and torture him mentally. But how?

Then a previous thought came back to him. Fear! Suddenly Shikami knew what to show to the man.

_Another man appeared from the shadows of the trees and stalked towards the first man, completely ignoring Shikami. The one caught in the shadow jutsu trembled and stopped struggling. He probably would've taken a step or two back if Shikami didn't still have him in his grip._

"_Master," the first man said, obviously trying to keep his trembling from reaching his voice._

Shikami slowly, hesitantly, let go of his grip on the man. He showed no signs of realizing that he was free to move.

"_What are... you doing here?" the first man continued. The shadow jutsu continued to keep him from moving._

"_You worthless garbage," the second man snapped. "I send you to do one simple thing and you get bested by... by genin!" He said 'genin' like it was the worst insult of all time._

_Shikami sent another shadow towards the 'master', but he avoided it easily, then delivered a quick blow to Shikami, causing him to fall unconscious. It also broke the jutsu._

The man pitched forward to a kneeling position, an empty look in his eyes. Shikami hesitated, wondering what to do with him.

"_Fool!" the second man scolded. "If you're lucky, I'll skip the torturing and just kill you where you stand!"_

_The first man dropped to his knees and bent his body forward, bowing. "Forgive me! Give me another job; I won't fail you again!"_

"_No, you won't," the second man said, glaring. He grabbed the collar of the first man's shirt and dragged him off for goodness-knows-what kind of toturing device before killing him. He held a limp Shikami under his other arm._

Shikami watched the man fall face first onto the forest floor. He debated a moment, then decided to simply leave him there. He was definitely unconscious, so he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Shikami turned and ran in the direction of the Ikari home, hoping to see Rue and Ethan soon.

After a while, getting somewhat tired and still not having caught sight of them, Shikami slowed to a brisk walk. Perhaps Shikami or Ethan and Rue had been a bit off in the directions they were going, so they were on different paths altogether.

No matter. Whoever was the lost one, or were the lost ones, they could correct themselves next time they hit a town in the forest, and the three could meet up again after that.

Shikami slowed his pace still further when he thought he was getting closer to his destination. Stealth would be vital. There was no way he could fight an entire clan, especially alone.

Suddenly, something grabbed his ankle. Had Shikami been going any faster, would have tripped and probably fallen. As it was, he had to check his balance and back up a step.

When he looked down at his ankle, what he saw a hand reaching up from the ground, holding tight to him. Surprised, and not at all in a good way, he tried to yank his foot free. The tugging increased and suddenly he gasped, feeling himself falling.

This was solid earth! How could he be falling? Nevertheless, he was.

"No, Ethan! It's Shikami!"

Shikami blinked and looked in the direction of the voice. Rue?

He couldn't make out anything, though, before he found himself buried up to his neck in earth, staring at a pair of feet. He tried to tilt his head back to look up at the person, having a pretty good guess by now as to who it was.

"Oops, sorry, man!"

Yep, Ethan.

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Minutes later, the trio was sitting in a circle facing one another.

Ethan seemed pretty scratched up, and Shikami didn't doubt that bruises would show later on, too. But other than the cuts on her neck, Rue looked relatively fine.

Shikami gave them his story, then asked what had happened with them after they had separated from him.

Ethan gave a slightly puzzled glance over at Rue. She gave him a smile in return and Ethan looked back at Shikami.

Shikami blinked, wondering what was going on. He waited.

"Well, we ran for a while then slowed down to take a breather, but we kept going," Ethan said. "After a few minutes, though, another couple of people attacked us out of thin air. We fought for a while, and Rue did pretty well in long-distance combat, throwing different weapons and such at them." He grinned.

Rue giggled and leaned back, resting her weight on her hands behind her.

Shikami studied Rue for a moment, but then he returned his attention to Ethan.

The Ethan frowned again, looking up at a tree behind Shikami without seeming to see it. "Then Rue and I got separated somehow. In the middle of the fight, I didn't really see how, but she was just suddenly gone," he continued. "The one ninja person that was still attacking me seemed out for blood. I finally got rid of him, though, by throwing some weapons he had to dodge or block – I didn't wait long enough to watch how – and then going underground. I buried him in the same way I just did you, Shikami."

Shikami nodded, glancing over at the nearby hole that marked where he had been pulled into the ground.

"Then I ran back a ways, looking for Rue, and she looked fine other than a little worn out. The other ninja that had attacked us and been with Rue was nowhere to be seen," Ethan said. "I didn't get a chance to ask her what happened before we heard you coming. We didn't know it was you, so I hid in the ground again and, well, you know the rest."

Shikami nodded again and the two boys looked over at Rue.

"So what happened while I was gone?" Ethan asked curiously.

Rue seemed uncomfortable with the sudden attention she was receiving. Modesty, Shikami wondered? Or something different?

"I kind of kept backing up with each attack I used and that lady followed me, which is how we got separated," Rue explained. "Few of my attacks were doing anything except making her mad. Finally I got out of her sight long enough to transform myself into a rock, and she ran right past me. Soon after I'd turned back, Ethan showed up."

Something about Rue was bugging Shikami, but he couldn't put his finger on it. There was nothing wrong with what she was saying, so far as he could tell, and Shikami could say for certain that what he and Ethan were seeing wasn't an illusion.

But little things in her actions made him uneasy.

Only time would tell whether she was friend, or foe disguised as friend. Until Shikami had conclusive proof that she wasn't Rue, he would treat her as Rue. That might mean foiled plans, but maybe he could come up with something where that wouldn't happen.

Shikami looked up at the sky between the treetops. "Let's rest here for a while, then after sunset we'll get moving again. We should reach the Ikari place before we've been walking for long, unless we took a wrong turn somewhere or something."

Ethan and Rue nodded, and the group began to prepare for supper.

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*legasp* Is there a villain in our midst? If so, what's happened to Rue? o3o

**Guess we'll have to wait and see. xD**

**Review time! ^_^~**


	35. Chapter 35

**And here we are with yet another chapter! 8D Enjoy! n.n**

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The trio passed the rest of the evening with small talk. Shikami had suggested trying to get a bit of sleep so they wouldn't run the risk of being that much more tired during the night, but he himself was wound up too tightly to even consider sleeping and Rue and Ethan had shot down the idea as well.

So after they finished eating, they simply chatted about random things under the sun, taking turns to gather more fuel for their fire when they ran low.

Then Shikami turned the topic towards the night ahead of them. "Our only objective is to get my mom out, not to see how many bad guy heads we can bust," he began.

"Even though that'd be loads of fun," Ethan interjected.

Rue grinned but kept silent.

"The 'divide and conquer' thing we used back in Konoha to find Shin won't work here," Shikami continued. "For one thing, we don't know the enemy's home anywhere near as well as Konoha, and we have no maps to help us with that or anything. For another, there is strength in numbers. If we seperated and they discovered us, they could pick us off one at a time and the others wouldn't even know it."

"How will we find your mom?" Rue asked.

"If this place really houses an entire clan, and it's not part of another town, I'm willing to bet it probably works similar to a town within itself," Shikami said, thinking. "Meaning, they'd have prison cells, too. If we find those, chances are my mom will be kept there."

Ethan raised his hand like he was in school. Shikami let a small grin break through at the motion, saying, "Yes, Ethan?"

Ethan grinned as he pulled his hand back down. "Doubtful you'll agree, but once we break your mom free, can we bust evil ninja heads with her then? We'll have a jonin on our side!"

"One that has probably been underfed and unable to train for months," Shikami finished, rolling his eyes. He didn't doubt that his mom was a terrific ninja, but there was little chance the enemy had given her silk sheets and feasts (at least, not drugged). Besides what good were a ninja-in-training, two genin, and a jonin (even at her best) against an entire clan?

"So we get in, grab your mom, and get out, without getting seen," Rue summed up.

Shikami felt a sudden shiver running along his spine at how close that sounded to how Kyra had described her plan back when his mom had first gone MIA.

"What if this clan doesn't cooperate?" Rue asked. "Is there a Plan B?"

Plan B... Shikami thought for a moment, then said, "If we're seen, there are two Plan B's. One is I put whoever sees us under a genjutsu, keeping them from chasing us or signaling others. The other is Ethan buries them like he did me and we gag them so they can't call out or anything."

"I like Plan B part two," Ethan grinned, flashing his chipped tooth.

During their conversation, the sky had grown darker. The sun set, darkness fell, and eventually their brightest light was from their fire, which also eventually burned out after they'd let a silence fall. They had only the moon and stars to shed light now, and they were partially blocked by tree branches.

Shikami stood. "Let's go," he said, dropping his voice low. Rue and Ethan stood as well, but in the dark, Shikami couldn't see their expressions very well.

Shikami set off in the direction of the Ikari place, treading as lightly as he could without any exaggerated sneakiness. Soon he stopped, causing Ethan and Rue behind him to stop as well. They had arrived. A sign several feet in front of the house probably read 'Ikari clan', or something to that effect, but with the light the way it was, Shikami couldn't tell for sure.

Many of the lights were on in windows, but partway around, they found a section that was dark. Shikami hoped it wasn't a bedroom, especially a bedroom with someone sleeping at that time.

The window was locked, but using his earth jutsu, Ethan went underground, slipped into the room, and unlocked it for Rue and Shikami from the inside. They climbed in and headed out stealthily in single file: Shikami, Ethan, then Rue.

Once, they nearly ran directly into someone, perhaps a patrolling guard. They quickly ducked into a room (which was luckily dark and hopefully empty) and let him pass, then came out again and continued.

Prisons, prisons, prisons... Shikami wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for to find the prison area. A suspicious dead end, a scary staircase, an obvious sign - all of those would be helpful. But those were only in stories. How could he expect to—

"PRISON CELLS – NEXT FLOOR DOWN"

What a convenient, obvious sign, pointing to a scary staircase.

Shikami followed the signs instructions, stepping down the narrow, winding staircase. He stopped suddenly and felt Ethan crash into him. Someone was coming up the stairs.

There wasn't enough time to signal Rue to begin backing up quickly and silently, and definitely not enough time to follow her just as quickly and silently. He leaped up as high as he could and grabbed onto the wall with his chakra, tugging at Ethan's shirt to follow. He prayed Ethan would remember Rue couldn't climb walls.

He did. Ethan appeared beside him high on the wall moments later, with Rue piggyback riding on him.

The person passed them by and Shikami silently sighed in relief. The three slowly planted their feet on the ground again and continued their downward journey.

At the first exit from the staircase, Shikami took it and found himself staring down a long, wide hallway with bars on both sides closing off more rooms. A few scattered electric lights cast a dim and eerie glow on the place.

If anyone else had been in the hall, he would have seen three small, suspicious figures stepping from the stairway. However, it was empty as far as Shikami could tell. He walked down the hall, glancing in each cell on both sides. He didn't look behind him, though he knew Ethan and Rue were following him still.

Empty. Empty. Rats, but otherwise empty. Empty. Skeletons, but nothing living. Empty again. More skeletons. Gross, a corpse a lot fresher. Shikami held his breath and moved on.

Empty. Empty. Skeletons. Empty. Rats. Shikami stopped dead in his tracks at the last cell.

It wasn't his mom, but it was human, and living. Her form looked familiar, even in the dim light. But it couldn't be...

Shikami looked behind him at Ethan and Rue – no, just Ethan. His eyes widened in shock and confusion.

Ethan spied the girl in the cell moments after Shikami, and looked at his friend in confusion. Shikami watched as Ethan also glanced behind him, and when Ethan looked back at Shikami, not seeing Rue anywhere, his expression mirrored Shikami's.

The girl lying down, chained to the back wall of the cell... was Rue.

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Mwahahaha, cursed or not, my cliffhangers shall survive, Tay! xD

**Anyways, now I hafta come up with a reason she's there... xD; *starts typing, having a general idea* x3**

**Leave a review on your way out, pretty please with sugar on top! ;D**


	36. Chapter 36

**^_^ ... ... ... ... *no comment* n_n**

**...OH. x3 Again, if a whole line is in italics, Shikami's genjutsu's working. ;D**

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Shikami watched as Ethan tugged at the metal door. Locked, of course. Just because Rue was chained to the wall didn't mean these people would leave the door wide open.

"What do you think is going on, Shikami?" Ethan muttered.

Shikami shook his head, pulled a senbon needle from his pouch of ninja tools, and stuck it in the keyhole. He was about to get a crash course in lock picking.

"I don't know," Shikami replied in a low voice. "But I'm pretty sure this is the real Rue – the one that was with us for the last couple hours was a fake."

"I should've known," Ethan frowned. "She was acting kind of weird, though nothing in specific jumped out at me that something was wrong. Was she an illusion?"

Shikami shook his head. "No. It must've been someone using the transformation jutsu."

He continued messing around with the lock, and after what seemed like hours, he heard a soft click. The door swung open – silently, thank goodness.

But wherever the Rue imposter was, she knew they were there. They'd have to get the real Rue up and moving, and get moving themselves, quickly, before they got some seriously unwanted attention.

"Keep an eye out here?" Shikami whispered to Ethan. He nodded, and Shikami stepped into the cell.

"Rue," he whispered urgently, shaking the girl. He used his senbon needle and began working at her chains, cuffs, whatever they were called, that bound her to the wall.

Rue stirred and moaned sleepily.

"Shhh," Shikami said. "Keep your voice down, but as soon as you're wide enough awake, I need to know something. Give me some kind of proof you're Rue, and not someone that looks like her." She wasn't a genjutsu, he could tell. But he wouldn't put it past these people to make two fake Rues.

Rue opened her eyes and blinked several times, probably trying to bring them into focus. "Shikami?" she whispered. "You... You're here. Where's Ethan? Have you gotten your mom yet?"

"Ethan is just outside the cell. ...No, we haven't found her yet. After we were attacked in the forest today, those people must have given us a fake you. I need to make sure you're not a fake either. Tell me something about your life in Konoha, something you and I would know but not anyone in the clan here."

Rue blinked slowly, watching Shikami mess with her chains, trying to free her. Finally she said quietly, "My parents are Kyra and Sai, and I have one brother named Shin, named after my dad's deceased 'brother'."

Shikami paused at her last words, but then got back to work again. "I actually didn't know the last part."

"Dad's a really great artist, and I love drawing, too." She paused, seeming to search for something else. "Shin ran away recently, wanting to be a ninja before he was ready." She gave a soft, bitter laugh. "I guess I'm not much different from him, am I?"

What a drag. Rue wouldn't do her best if she continued to think this way about herself. Shikami definitely believed she could help him and Ethan if she tried, but it didn't really help a person's confidence to get used first as an insurance against an attack and then as either bait or just a prisoner.

Shikami released one of her wrists and got to work on the other. "Rue, you wouldn't let us leave Konoha without agreeing to take you with, but ever since then, you've seemed to lack confidence in your skills," he said quietly.

Rue looked up at him but didn't say anything.

"Ethan and I agreed to let you come along for a reason. Sure, you're not officially a ninja yet, but what does some headband matter?" Shikami continued. "You have to believe in yourself, Rue. And trust Ethan and me the way we trust you."

Rue was still for a while, but then she slowly nodded.

Then, just as Shikami clicked open, Ethan dived into the cell. He pulled the door almost closed, but Shikami didn't hear any clicks signifying that it had latched.

Ethan came swiftly to Rue and Shikami and pointed up. Shikami nodded his understanding, now hearing the footsteps of someone approaching.

Ethan quickly scaled the wall and came to a stop at the ceiling. Shikami debated for half a second, then decided not to worry about making things look normal. He picked Rue up and followed Ethan, using his chakra to hang onto the part of the cell where the wall met the ceiling.

There was no way of knowing what this person or these people were here for, so making it seem like Shikami and Ethan had gone without even trying to get Rue was generally pointless.

The person came into view soon enough. He looked into Rue's cell and gasped audibly. "She's gone! But how?" Apparently, this man had not yet heard from the fake Rue.

He clutched the cell's bars and moaned. "I'll have to tell Boss. I sure hope he's in a good mood!" He began to walk away swiftly.

"Get him," Shikami hissed to Ethan. Ethan responded immediately, jumping down to the ground, whipping the door open, and tackling the guy from behind.

Shikami jumped down as well and set Rue on the ground, then he ran out of the cell as well.

Ethan had had surprise on his side, resulting in an early upper hand. However, the man was bigger and stronger and more experienced, and soon turned the wrestling match around.

"If you see an opportunity for _anything_," Shikami whispered to Rue, "take it."

He saw her nod out of the corner of his eyes, just before he closed them and concentrated. With so little light, there weren't really any shadows to work with, so his only choice was genjutsu. He sent his chakra hurtling towards the man's mind.

He didn't waste time trying to find the man's weakness by searching his memories. From what the man had said only seconds before, he was afraid of the same man that the previous victim of Shikami's genjutsu had feared.

"_Garbage! Worthless idiot!" a voice boomed from the stairway._

The man stopped struggling against Ethan, who finally pinned him, breathing heavily. Rue walked over to the two cautiously.

_The man finally managed to pin the stubborn boy who had tackled him, though he felt extremely vulnerable to defeat now that he recognized the second man who was stepping closer every moment with a swift, threatening gait._

"_My lord, the girl escaped somehow, and I was on my way to tell you!" he gasped._

_The second man glowered. "And then you were nearly bested by a child!"_

"_He sneaked up on me!" the first man protested._

"_Why didn't you see him coming?" the second demanded._

Ethan looked over at Shikami, who nodded. "He'll be unconscious for a while, if he doesn't break the jutsu," he whispered. He turned to Rue. "Do you know anything about this place, or have you only been in your cell?"

Ethan dragged the man into Rue's cell, and Shikami wouldn't doubt that he was chaining him as in Rue's place.

Rue thought for a moment, then slowly nodded. "I think I know a little," she said softly. "I was only about half conscious when it happened, but they took me to see your mom, and a lot of yelling took place. Then they brought me down here and next thing I knew, you were waking me up."

Shikami's heartbeat quickened. So she _was_ alive, just like he'd thought at first.

Ethan closed the cell door and Shikami heard it click, then Ethan asked the question Shikami had been about to say next, "Think you can take us to her?"

Rue frowned, but nodded. "I think so."

Ethan flashed a chip-toothed grin. "Then let's go."

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*legasp* We're getting closer to finding Kaida! 8D

**Make sure to leave a review for meh again, please! ;DD**


	37. Chapter 37

**Here's chapter thirty-seven, yay! 8D It's later in the day than I try to make my updates, but I'm still managing to keep my one update a day. xD**

**OH, but the reason this is later is because I spent a ton of time on the seperate oneshot I think I mentioned earlier - about Kaida and her MIA days. :P It's on my profile, called The Kunoichi's Tale. I'm not too happy with the title, but oh well, I guess. xD;**

**Anyways, enjoy this chapter, and again, the major parts italicized are Shikami's genjutsu at work! xDD**

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Rue quietly explained that Kaida had been kept in a bedroom, rather than a cage, and she led Shikami and Ethan quietly through the halls and up another flight of stairs. She hesitated several times, but when she did choose a way to finally go, it was with confidence.

They passed several ninja on their way to Shikami's mom's room. The reason Shikami guessed for the increased activity was that the fake Rue had alerted them.

Each time they even suspected that someone was coming, either they rushed to the ceiling and prayed no one would look up, or they ducked into a room and prayed it was empty.

Once, it wasn't. The situation was quickly brought under control, however, as Shikami grabbed the surprised man with a shadow and Ethan and Rue bound and gagged him. They then stuffed him in his closet for him to wait goodness-knows-how-long for someone to find him and get him out.

Then they saw a door that was guarded by two ninja. A questioning look at Rue and an answering nod told Shikami that that was where his mom was being held.

Shikami ducked through a door and was relieved to find it empty. Ethan and Rue followed him soon after and he closed it behind them.

"Plan?" Ethan whispered.

That was what Shikami was trying to work out. Since they weren't on the first floor or in a basement, Shikami wasn't sure if Ethan's jutsu would be in working condition. And it didn't seem too likely that the three of them even combined would be able to get the best of two more experienced ninja through taijutsu.

Though he wanted to conserve his chakra more, genjutsu was probably his best option again.

"I'll cast an illusion jutsu on them," Shikami decided, informing Rue and Ethan in a whisper. "Then we go in, probably after picking the lock. They wouldn't be so careless as to just let her walk out at any time."

Ethan and Rue nodded, and Shikami stepped out into the hall so he could see the ninja. He concentrated and cast the jutsu.

_A shadow flashed in the corner of one of the ninja's eyes. "Did you see that?" he asked his partner._

_He nodded, tensing, but a slow, eager grin spread across his face. "Think it's those brats we were warned about?"_

"_If it is, they don't stand a chance," the first laughed._

"_Let's get 'em. I'm hungry for a midnight snack."_

_The two jogged down the hall, calling out taunts to the 'brats'._

The two men slumped to the ground, doomed to wander an endless maze in their minds until they managed to break Shikami's hold on them, or until Shikami let them go.

He rushed for the door and whipped out another senbon needle in case the lock needed picking. He tried the knob. Locked. He slid the needle in the keyhole and got to work.

He was aware soon that Ethan and Rue had joined him, but he didn't look up from his task. The lock finally clicked, and he slipped in, moving out of the way so his friends could follow.

There she was. His mom was standing in the middle of the room, staring at him. But before Shikami could do anything, she rushed towards him and threw her arms around him. "Shikami!"

"Shh," Shikami warned her, though he hugged her back, relieved that he had finally found her. He discovered that he was shaking.

She pulled back and studied him with a wide smile. Spending months as a prisoner here didn't seem to have changed her a bit. "My bad," she whispered, squeezing his shoulders.

She finally tore her gaze away from him to Ethan and Rue. "Good to see you're safe now, Rue," she said softly. "And, Ethan! What... Never mind; I'll save questions for later." She beamed back at Shikami, who grinned in response in spite of himself. His mom's best smiles had always been contagious for him to some degree. "Let's get out of here."

Shikami motioned to the window. "Can't we get out that way?" he asked. He doubted the answer would be yes, as she should have been able to escape before if she could, but it was worth asking anyways.

His mom shook her head. "There's no way to open it, and the glass just won't break no matter how hard I try."

Shikami nodded and started to turn towards the door, but he stopped and looked back at his mom, Ethan, and Rue. "I don't suppose anyone knows how to find any normal door entrances or exits?"

His question was met with some general head-shakings saying no.

"Do we even want to use the door, anyways?" Rue asked.

"Why not go back to the first floor and find a window that actually works, like the way we came in?" Ethan asked, backing her up.

"You're a genius, Ethan," Shikami told him, wondering why he himself hadn't immediately thought of that.

Ethan smirked and lightly shoved Shikami.

The group of four headed out, Rue and Shikami in the lead, backtracking to the staircase they had used only minutes previous. They entered through the first door they came to, and froze when something sounded in the room as they had been halfway to the window.

They stood still until Shikami's mother located the source of the noise and quietly pointed to the bed. Someone was snoring.

Shikami continued to the window and hoped it wouldn't make any noises that would wake whoever was sleeping. His mom, however, went directly to the bed and did... something. In the dark, Shikami couldn't see what. But the snores stopped. She rejoined them and waited as Ethan and Rue slid the window open.

Ethan hopped out first, then he helped Rue through. Kaida motioned for Shikami to go next. He hesitated, unwilling to leave his mom as the last one in the evil place, but then decided to do as told.

"What did you do to the person in there?" Shikami whispered curiously to her once they were all safely out and tip-toeing away.

"I applied pressure to a spot on his neck, temporarily cutting off the flow of blood to his brain," she replied softly. "Basically, I ensured he wouldn't wake up, but he's otherwise unharmed."

That was a handy technique to know. He would have to ask her to teach it to him later.

Whoa. He blinked, realizing he had just assumed he would continue being a ninja and fighting bad guys and all that stuff from her stories. He was banished, he reminded himself. And the reason he had even become a ninja was almost complete.

"And where do you think you're going?" The cool voice sent shivers up and down Shikami's spine, and he felt his mom next to him stiffen.

In front of them, the dark silhouette of a man appeared with two others on either side of him.

"Kaida, you really should stop being so stubborn," the man chided.

"Denji," Shikami's mom replied coldly, "maybe it's you who should stop being so stubborn. As long as I still breathe, you will never get what you want from me."

Shikami waited with baited breath, wondering what was going to happen next. His mom, being the more experienced and higher-ranked ninja, was in charge now, so he and Rue and Ethan waited for her to make a move or give orders before doing anything themselves.

Would they be able to get away safely?

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*gets to work on tomorrow's chapter* x33

**Please leave me a review on your way out, as always! ;P**


	38. Chapter 38

**And now this long, long day finally sees an end at the end of this chapter. x3 Enjoy!**

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Shikami shifted his weight form one leg to the other, tensely waiting for the talking to subside so they could either run or fight.

"Don't make me do this, Kaida," Denji warned. "Last chance, before my best ninja and I attack. We'll kill you last and make you watch your kids die."

"You're awfully cocky for someone who's spent more than three months on a task that was doomed to failure," Shikami's mom shot back. "For the last time, I say no."

Denji sighed and a sound like someone snapping their fingers echoed in the still night air. "Kill them."

"Run, you three," Shikami's mother said tersely. "Get out of here. I'll hold them off."

"No way," Ethan said, preparing his jutsu.

"We won't leave you," Rue added, accepting a few weapons Shikami handed her, since her own weapons pack had been taken.

"We came here only to get you back," Shikami told her. "We knew, and still know, everything that's at risk. There's no getting rid of us. Either we stay and fight with you, or you come running away with us."

His mom didn't have time to respond before she quickly deflected several attacks aimed at the three kids. She seemed to be trying to be everywhere at once to protect them, but she managed to grunt out, "You don't understand; they're in an entirely different league. You can't possibly hope to stand a chance!"

Pain sounded in her tone, and something told Shikami it wasn't because of any physical wound. She needed them to leave because she wouldn't be able to stand it if anything happened to the people she loved.

But Shikami couldn't stand it if he just gave in and let her go down in the blaze of glory she seemed to want. He might be inexperienced and as weak as a fly caught in a spider's web, but there was no way he was leaving.

"Ethan, see what you can do from underground," Shikami whispered to his friend, making sure none but him heard it. Ethan nodded, made a few handsigns, and vanished.

"Rue, here are more weapons. We'll count on you to back us up from a distance," Shikami said in a tone just as low to his female teammate. Ethan had commented how well she had done against one of their earlier attackers with long-distance attacks. She nodded once in response and seemed to be able to see straight through the darkness of the night.

And now for himself. In the night, there was only darkness, not really shadows, so that technique wouldn't help. His only choice would be taijutsu and genjutsu. He wasn't sure how well he'd be able to fool these people if they were as good as his mom said, but he would do his best. Hopefully it would at least buy enough time to give his mother an edge.

But first he needed to find a target. In the dark, he couldn't very well tell what was going on, not to mention the four adults were moving much faster than he could watch.

No, only three adults, Shikami realized. The fourth figure, one that had been behind the Denji guy, was hovering in the background. He didn't have time to wonder why. He barreled his chakra into the mind of the opponent and sifted through thoughts and memories as fast as he could.

She was that Denji person's mother, and a medical ninja, which was why she wasn't taking place in the fighting yet. She was saving her strength to heal.

Weakness, weakness... She had to have a weakness; everybody had a weakness.

Shikami's mom was continuing to dart here and there, metal clashing on metal over and over again. Once or twice, Rue threw weapons and which were later met with satisfying grunts. Sometimes in the darkness, Shikami saw the enemies stumble or trip, as though the earth had shifted itself at the last minute to catch their feet.

Shikami continued to try and concentrate on the woman, and he soon realized that she was continuously sidestepping. Another quick delve from her memories into her thoughts revealed that she was dodging Ethan's attempts to grab at her.

He pushed further for a weakness, then he decided just to do _something_ to her while still searching.

He showed her her son losing, then dying. At first she didn't do anything, but then when she began to slump over, she seemed to sink _into_ the ground rather than onto it. Ethan.

Shikami felt her breaking his hold on her almost immediately, but it was too late. She was buried up to her neck in dirt, which would take a while to get out of.

He turned his attention to the rest of the fight. He could now only see two people clashing together in battle. After a short search, he saw Rue tightening some ropes nearby on a man who lay facedown, motionless.

From what he'd seen in the woman's memories, it wasn't Denji. That meant his mom was still going head-to-head against the one responsible for imprisoning her this entire time.

He wished he could do something to help, but they were moving way too quickly for him to even try to do anything. Ethan shot up from the ground next to him moments later.

"I think your mom's got this under control now," Ethan said confidently.

Shikami tried to believe him, but he just wished his mom has already won.

He watched as she suddenly skidded backwards to a stop. She flashed handsigns quickly and, just as Denji was about to pounce on her, blew. Denji stopped, and Shikami wished he could better see what was happening. He didn't seem able to move, though he did somehow manage to land on his feet when he hit the ground. Soon, the air around him crystallized, becoming ice that shone in the moonlight. It grew thicker and thicker until Kaida reeled forward, gasping for breath.

He ran to her and steadied her before she fell.

"I'm... I'm fine," she gasped. "Let's move – _now_!"

"Come on, Ethan; let's go, Rue! We've finished here," he said, grinning in spite of himself.

The four ran away from the scene, and Shikami kept an eye on how his mom was doing. After a few deep breaths, she seemed to recover. Shikami was glad it didn't seem like anything serious.

The night wore on. Shikami lost track of how much time was passing. They simply continued to run.

Rue was soon struggling to keep up, due to her not having undergone the training Ethan and Shikami had. Kaida lifted the girl in her arms and carried her for the rest of the time they ran.

Shikami began to wear eventually, as well. He tried to hide the fact, though, and keep up. Ethan had more duration than Shikami, and he didn't show signs of tiring yet. And of course his mom was still going strong.

Just as Shikami thought he had reached his limit, his mother motioned for them to slow, then stop. She placed Rue, who had fallen asleep, gently on the ground.

"This should be far enough away," she said. "Get some sleep; we'll start again in the morning."

Shikami collapsed onto the ground, never having realized before how comfortable it was. He was too tired to explain yet to his mom that they were not permitted back in Konoha. Too tired to comment that he and Ethan would have to go back home instead of the ninja village and that Rue would need a new home.

He simply slept.

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*legasp* Being banished will have to be brought up before they reach the village. What. Will. They. Do? xD *already knows but won't tell; just starts typing next chapter to work out details* xP

**Anyways, until then, lemme know whatcha think about this chapter in a review, please! n_n~**

**(Btw- It's up to you and your personal opinion if Denji is dead, or simply frozen, or by this time unfrozen. ;3)**


	39. Chapter 39

***whips out Naruto world map to see where they'll have to go on their journey* ...Hm? What journey, you ask? Read below and find out. xD**

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When Shikami awoke the next day, he found Rue and his mother asleep still, and Ethan scratching in the dirt with the point of a stick. Ethan noticed Shikami watching him and grinned.

"About time you were up," he teased, though quietly so as not to wake the others.

Shikami yawned. "Good morning," he answered quietly.

Ethan shook his head. "I think it might actually be afternoon by now, dude."

Shikami stared at him.

"Or somewhere close to it," Ethan said, shrugging. "I guess everyone was pretty wiped out after such a long night last night. But when I woke up just a couple hours earlier, your mom hadn't slept a wink. She said something about making sure nothing happened overnight."

Shikami looked over at his mom again. She had to have been at least as tired as the rest of them, yet she had stayed up all night and half the morning making sure they really were safe?

"So I offered to keep an eye out for any kind of danger while she got a few hours of sleep herself," Ethan continued. "And it's been pretty quiet the entire time."

Shikami's stomach growled and Ethan flashed another chip-toothed grin. He pulled some food from his backpack and presented it to Shikami with a "Voila!"

Shikami ate, then he and Ethan passed another couple of hours in relative silence. Soon, Rue woke up, yawned, and stretched, and Shikami's mom did about the same not long after.

"Mom," Shikami said, as the two girls were enjoying their breakfast – or lunch, really.

"Shikami," his mother answered.

"We... We can't go back to Konoha. I mean, you can, but Rue, Ethan, and I... We're banished. We'll need another place to stay while you let everyone know you're alive."

His mom stilled, then looked around at the children's faces. Shikami waited, and she finally looked back at him.

"That would definitely explain why no sensei came with you, and why Rue's here though I don't see a headband," she mumbled. Shikami guessed she was mostly talking to herself.

He waited again, but his mom said nothing more for a while. She simply finished what was left of her lunch and stood. "Well, we'd better get going," she said.

Ethan shifted uneasily from where he sat. "Uh, where do you want the three of us to go?"

Rue and Shikami nodded, Ethan having voiced Shikami's (and, he guessed, Rue's) question of them.

"The _four_ of us," Shikami's mom corrected, "are going to Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand."

Shikami vaguely remembered something about Yudai and Aiko saying they visited there every so often for books.

"They're allies of the Leaf," Rue mused. "Would they let us in if we're banished from their allied village?"

Shikami's mother looked up at some passing clouds. "One way to find out. Besides, I'm friends with the Fifth Kazekage and his siblings." She looked back down at Rue. "You wouldn't happen to know if the current Kazekage is the fifth or not, would you?"

Rue nodded. "I'm pretty sure last I was told Suna had only five Kazekages."

"Good," came the reply. "Once we're there, they probably won't mind if we use a messenger hawk to deliver news to Konoha. If the situation is explained well enough, the three of you might be able to go back."

"The Sixth Hokage seemed like the kind of person that would let that happen," Shikami added.

His mom exhaled slowly. "Unfortunately, there are some things above even the Hokage's power. At any rate, we'd best be going."

"Right." Ethan jumped to his feet and slung his backpack over one shoulder. "We're off to another super-secret ninja village!"

As they walked, Rue, Ethan, and Shikami related their story of the last few months, and Shikami remembered the ring that had come with the note. He pulled it from a pocket in his backpack and gave it to his mom, who slipped it on and thanked him profusely, looking very relieved to have it back.

Then she gave her story, basically recounting imprisonment and a few unsuccessful escape attempts. At one part near the beginning, she said something about the Denji guy hoping friends would try to rescue her but then saying they hadn't shown up - the three children were quick to contradict his statement.

"Ms. Kyra told us that she and your other teammate searched all over that house for you," Ethan said.

Shikami nodded and added, "She said they found you, but you weren't breathing or giving a pulse or anything."

"And you weren't an illusion, so she felt she had to accept that you were dead," Rue finished.

Shikami slipped out of his pouch a senbon needle and held it out to his mom. "This is what they used, isn't it?"

She took the needle from him and rubbed her thumb up and down the side of it thoughtfully. "It would sure explain a lot if this is what they used. I can't say for sure, though. But I can't come up with any other reason as to how I'm still alive, either, so I guess this it," she said, laughing at the last part.

She continued her tale and ended it right around when Rue was tossed into her room. In a nutshell, she had simply been confined to a different place each time she woke up from being roughly handled by the Ikari ninja and and spent the longest amount of time in the bedroom where Shikami and the others had found her.

Shikami got a small feeling she was leaving some parts out, but he didn't care. It was enough to know that she had survived and was free from the clan.

They walked throughout the day (or rather, afternoon and part of the evening), stopping only once in the afternoon to go shopping in a town. They bought food and were even lucky enough to find a shop so they could get more basic ninja weapons, and Shikami's mom also got a new set of clothing to replace what she had been dressed in while in the Ikari residence. They were almost out of money, but she assured them that they would arrive in Suna soon enough.

They crossed the border of the Fire Country and entered the River Country late in the evening. Once they'd spanned the thinner River Country and its many rivers and hopefully bridges, they would then be in the Wind Country, where the Hidden Sand Village was located.

Closer towards the evening, Shikami smelled curry on the wind, making him realize it was getting close to when they should stop for supper.

Then, on the road up ahead, a small shop came into view. The curry scent was strongest there, making Shikami's stomach growl. Even so, he figured they would pass right by it.

But instead, when they got closer, his mom veered off to approach the door of the 'Curry of Life Shop', as the sign out front boldly announced.

They were having curry for supper, it seemed. Shikami wondered why, when they would be much safer saving their remaining money. But he supposed he would go along with what his mom thought best.

He exchanged glances with Rue and Ethan, waiting.

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And how about we call that a good stopping point? =P Those of you who've seen Naruto filler episodes know where they are, right? x3

Anyways, don't forget to drop a review on my desk on your way out! xD


	40. Chapter 40

**I think I'm basically wasting time in this chapter, but at least I guess it came to me easier than the other time-wasting stuffz. xD**

**Btw- No, Karashi does not show up in this, at least in person, because I hate him, loath him, despise him, and all that other stuff. With a passion. *shudders just thinking about him* (No offense to anyone who does like him, but he's one of the few people, whether fiction or non, that I can't stand... :/)**

**Anyways, enjoy! xP**

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Minutes later, the four of them were sitting around a table with an older woman and a man in his early thirties or late twenties standing nearby.

"My goodness, Kaida, it's been so long since I've seen you; you've grown into such a beautiful young woman!" the woman said. "It was about twenty years ago when you and Lee and Shino stopped by on one of your missions, wasn't it? And who are these lovely children? Students of yours?"

"Yes, it's been a really long time," Shikami's mom laughed. She then motioned to each person as she introduced them: "This is my son, Shikami; his best friend, Ethan; and my best friend's daughter, Rue. And this is Grandma Sanshou and Ranmaru."

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you all!" Grandma Sanshou gushed. "Ranmaru," she said to the man. "Why don't you get started on the Curry of Life for our guests? I'll be back there to help you in a moment!"

Ranmaru smiled and nodded. "I'll be glad to," he answered, ducking into the kitchen.

"Oh, Grandma Sanshou, is your son around?" Shikami's mom asked suddenly, looking around. "Karashi, right?"

Sanshou smiled, albeit a bit sadly. "Karashi has long since moved away to live with his wife near her family. He doesn't visit very often, perhaps once a year - but he does send letters," she added on a brighter note.

Shikami watched silently as his mom grinned and stood. "Is there anything I can do to help out in the kitchen?"

But Grandma Sanshou pooh-poohed at that and made her sit back down, saying something about her being a guest and that guests should be served rather than serve. Sanshou vanished into the kitchen soon after.

"Curry of Life?" Shikami finally asked out of curiosity.

His mom flashed him a grin. "If you couldn't tell from their sign outside, it's what they're famous for. Did you meet Rock Lee while you were in Konoha?"

Ethan and Shikami shook their heads.

Rue looked thoughtful. "Is he the guy with the bushy, black eyebrows that's always giving dramatic speeches about the springtime of youth?"

Shikami's mom laughed. "That would be either him or his previous sensei, Might Gai. They're enough alike to be father and son. Anyways, according to the way Lee told the story, he and his sensei ran a three-day marathon around here, most of it in their sleep."

"What?" Shikami asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"How is that even possible?" Ethan added.

Shikami's mother grinned. "You don't know them. Words like 'impossible' and 'can't' aren't even in their vocabulary, while the term 'hard work' is practically what they live for. But back to the story. Near the end of the third day, Lee, asleep, finally fell outside this curry shop, and Grandma Sanshou and Karashi brought him inside."

The smell of curry drifted from the kitchen, making Shikami's stomach complain rudely that it wanted some. Hopefully it was quiet enough, though, that no one else heard.

"Grandma Sanshou and her son whipped up some curry to feed him when they realized he seemed hungry," his mom continued. "Still asleep, he ate what they offered, but he wouldn't wake up. After a few more tries, I guess they basically dumped everything but the kitchen sink into the curry pot. That curry woke him up quickly, and that's the reason it was called the Curry of Life."

"Hm, I'm not so sure this story sounds true," Rue mused.

Shikami's mother grinned devilishly. "That's because you haven't tried the curry yet."

"Okay, now you're starting to scare me," Ethan said. "Are you sure this curry won't kill us?"

She laughed but didn't have time to answer. Ranmaru and Sanshou entered carrying plates and pots and ladles. Shikami's mom jumped up to help set it out.

Shikami sweatdropped. The curry was so black it made night seem like day. And it continued to boil on his plate after it left the pot. Was this really edible? He had his doubts.

Rue and Ethan's thoughts seemed to be mirroring his own, but his mom, Ranmaru, and Grandma Sanshou started eating almost immediately. He watched for their reactions.

Grandma Sanshou and Ranmaru ate steadily, as though it was the most normal meal in the world. They seemed to enjoy it, though. As for Shikami's mom, she took a big bite and her face turned red.

"It's every bit as delicious as I remember!" she gasped, digging in vigorously.

Still a bit uncertain, but hungry all the same, Shikami scooped up some of the curry. It bubbled suspiciously on his spoon. He ate it, seeing out of the corner of his eyes that Ethan and Rue were doing the same.

HOT! _SPICEY HOT!_ He'd never eaten anything even close to it. He figured any moment, he'd start breathing fire and steam would pour from his ears.

He needed water, fast! He grabbed at his glass and jerked it to his mouth, sloshing some out in the process. He guzzled the entire glass and then gasped for breath.

His mom was laughing at him. "That was about my reaction the first time, too. It definitely grows on you, though."

"Ha," he said, still gasping for breath. He looked over to gauge his friends' reactions.

Ethan was eating like a person half-starved, though his eyes were wide and his face bright red. He paused every so often to take a drink of water, but he didn't stop entirely until his plate was clean. Then he gulped down quickly what was left of his water.

Rue, on the other hand, seemed to have reacted about the same as Shikami, maybe worse. Her glass was completely empty as well, and she was slumped over the table, panting.

"Maybe... Something a bit milder?" she asked after a while, fanning herself.

* * *

After supper was over, Sanshou asked them to stay the night. Shikami's mom seemed to hesitate, but then she accepted. (Shikami wondered if she was worried that the Ikari people might track them to the curry shop, putting Ranmaru and Sanshou in danger.) Ethan and Shikami were put up in one guest room, while his mom and Rue were shown to another.

Shikami tossed and turned for a while, unable to get comfortable after spending several days in sleeping bags. Finally, he gave up on sleep and crept out of his room, careful not to disturb Ethan.

In the living room, he saw his mom curled up on the couch, staring at nothing in particular. He quietly padded across the room over to her, and she smiled when she noticed him.

"You should be in bed, Shikami," she whispered. The slight reprimand sounded more like something she was reciting as a mother rather than something she actually expected him to obey. He sat on the couch next to her.

"I was; I couldn't sleep."

A short silence ensued, broken by Shikami saying, "Why didn't you tell me that you were a ninja?"

She sighed. "I did, sweetheart. I guess I never said it outright, but those bedtime stories were my way of telling you."

"You expected me to realize that on my own someday?" Shikami guessed.

She nodded. "And until then, you seemed perfectly content with leading a normal life."

He had been, he realized. But... "Are you?"

His mom seemed surprised at the question. Then she sighed again and looked away. "Before you were born, I enjoyed being a ninja so much I could never imagine doing anything else. No matter what happened on missions, I was a kunoichi, and proud of it. But when you came along and I quit, being a mother was great, too. Of course I missed it, but so long as you were happy, I was delighted."

"You would've been more delighted if Dad was still alive and you were still a ninja," Shikami pointed out.

She played with her ring. "Maybe." She paused, then added, "Probably."

Silence ensued again, and Shikami decided it was finally confession time, even if the small details so long ago seemed unimportant now.

"When Ino and Choji came to our house to take you back to Konoha, I found out then that your stories weren't just stories."

His mother looked over at him. "What do you mean?"

"I heard the three of you talking that night," Shikami said, looking down at the floor. "I wanted a drink of water and I stayed to listen to what was going on. Then after you left with them for Konoha, I looked through your desk's drawers and found some pictures and stuff. The pictures and headband are back at Kyra's house in the guest room I was using."

"Are you apologizing?"

Shikami blinked. "Uh, yeah, I guess."

"Apology accepted, then, 'I guess'." She smiled. "That's one way to get answers, though, I suppose."

"I don't much like it when people I trust keep secrets."

"Me neither. How about from now until dawn, or until one of us falls asleep, no questions are forbidden? If we don't understand something about the other, we simply ask and the other explains truthfully as best as they know how; we get rid of any and all secrets."

Shikami smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

So that was what they did through most of the night. Shikami wasn't sure when it ended, but after a while, he began to get sleepy. The last thing he remembered was leaning against his mom and trying to cover a yawn.

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Yay, no more secrets~! x33 I guess most of them have to do with ninja-stuffz, but maybe Shikami's also saying some stuff like "Oh, yeah, and I stole a cookie when I was five". xDDD;

**Hahaha, anyways, leave a review for meh, please? xD**


	41. Chapter 41

**Hum-diddly-um~ x3**

**Enjoy!**

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The next morning, Shikami woke up in bed in the guest room. Ethan's bed was empty, but that was no surprise.

Shikami yawned and stretched and then walked out from the room towards the dining area. It seemed he was the last one to wake up. His mom, Ethan, and Rue were sitting around the table, and sounds coming from the kitchen told him more than one person was banging around pots and pans.

"Good morning!" Ethan told him cheerfully.

"Morning," Shikami muttered sleepily, sliding into an empty seat next to his mom.

The curry that morning thankfully looked normal, but Shikami had to wonder if they ate _only_ curry around here.

At any rate, once breakfast had been finished and cleaned up, Shikami's mother spread his map out on the table and pointed to a spot in the River Country closer to the Fire Country rather than the Wind.

"We're right around here right now," she said. "And since Suna is about here," she slid her finger to the dot labeled Suna, "if we go at a walking pace, it will take us about a week, maybe longer."

"I always heard it was a two-day journey from Konoha to Suna," Rue said, puzzled.

Shikami's mom nodded. "It is, if you're jonin or above, or even an experienced chunin. Or a genin that for some reason keeps missing out on the exams. You have to go at a fast pace to cover the distance in that amount of time."

"And what if we ran at about the same pace as we ran from the Ikari people?" Ethan asked.

She considered that for a moment. "My guess would be the time would be cut in half if we kept that pace up throughout the day, with short breaks for meals. Three or four days."

"I bet we could do that," Ethan grinned. "Right, Shikami?"

"You and Mom could, I'm sure. But I'm not very certain how long I could keep up a pace like that, and Rue hasn't had the kind of training to keep it up, either," Shikami answered.

"We don't know until we try," Ethan said, standing.

"I suppose it's worth a go," Shikami's mom agreed. "Shikami, Rue, if you get tired, just say so. We'll either stop for a break or I'll carry you."

"Leaving so soon?" Grandma Sanshou asked, disappointed.

Shikami's mom stood. "Unfortunately, yes. There are some misunderstandings that need cleared up, to say the least." She grinned. "Thanks tons for the food and place to sleep, though, Grandma Sanshou."

Sanshou brushed away a tear from underneath her glasses and smiled. "I'll whip up some Curry of Life for you to take with if you're ever in a pickle!" she said, rushing back into the kitchen. "You can at least wait for that, can't you?" she called back.

Shikami sweatdropped, but his mom seemed to be trying to hold back laughter. "Yes, ma'am!"

Suddenly something Sanshou said, about them being 'in a pickle', and her mentions the day before of missions, finally clicked with Shikami. "She knows about ninja and what they do and stuff?" he asked.

"Yes." The answer came from someone other than Shikami's mom. Ranmaru entered the room, ladle in hand. "How could she not, after what happened?"

Shikami blinked. "You mean Lee collapsing after running around three days in his sleep?"

His mom laughed and shook her head. "No, Shikami, he means what happened when Lee came back his second time."

"Story time!" Ethan announced dramatically, grinning.

Shikami's mom laughed again. "It's a long story, one that will pass time while we're traveling."

Rue smiled. "At least that should help us keep our minds off of how tired we are."

As soon as the curry was packed into one of their backpacks, the group of four set off at a fast pace towards Suna.

Shikami's mom then began to tell them about a 'family' of tyrants who buried people alive, and how a group of four genin had put a stop to it and had given a new way of life to a young boy with an unusual ability with his eyes - unusual even for ninja.

Over the years of telling Shikami bedtime stories, he realized she was by then able to weave any tale to make it captivating for the audience. There was one noticeable difference between her bedtime stories and the way she told this tale, however. She added names.

The only ninja whose name Shikami recognized as someone he had met in the village was the Hokage – Naruto. The others (Neji, Tenten, and Lee), he hadn't been able to meet.

Near the end of the story, he noticed Rue tiring. She didn't complain, though, until the story had finished. Shikami's mom gave her a ride on her back then for the rest of the morning.

Shikami noticed that he was getting tired, too, so he requested another story to get his mind off of it. His mother chose another long one that lasted them the rest of the morning – her first attempt at the chunin exams.

Or, at least, the first two parts of the exam and the preliminaries before the third. She didn't have time to relate the rest of it before Shikami finally gave out and they stopped for lunch.

They passed the rest of the day that way, and before sunset, they had nearly reached the Wind Country.

That night, Shikami fell asleep easily, especially compared to how long it had taken him the night before.

The next four days were spent in roughly the same fashion. They ran towards Suna, listening to stories and stopping when they got tired. Shikami felt his endurance building the longer this went on, even if it was only a couple of days.

Sometimes, though, they were forced to take a break and find shelter even if they weren't tired. Sandstorms slowed their progress.

Then, on the evening of the fourth day, Shikami saw what he thought to be just another random town they were passing.

However, his mom realized differently. "We've made it; that's Sunagakure up ahead!"

"All right, sand people, here we come!" Ethan grinned.

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Wheee, time to meet Gaara and Kankuro and Temari~! x33 I know much less about the Sand Village people, though, so forgive me if I somehow don't portray it as well as I should. -.-

**Anyways, if you review, I'll give you cookies~ =3**


	42. Chapter 42

***facepalm* I made a mistake in one of my earlier chapters I had to correct. Gaara was not the Third Kazekage; he was the Fifth. Just wanted to let chu know I fixed that *unsure why I was thinking third***

**Also, since we see so little of the Sand Siblings, and some of where they appear in Naruto is when they're bad guys, I'm not too sure if I'll be able to get their characters down completely. Please let me know if you see anything OOC; I love and respect them too much to want to get them wrong! ;3**

**And enjoy! ^^**

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"I'm sorry, but allies or not, I can't let you in unless you have proof you're on a mission."

Ethan mimicked the guard from out of his line of vision, and Rue giggled.

But Shikami wasn't so sure this was funny. The guard had denied them entry. What would they do when they couldn't get into the village?

"I already told you," his mom sighed. "We're not on a mission, so we don't have any proof to give you. But I can give you three good reasons why you should let us in."

The Suna guard folded his arms across his chest and gave her a skeptical look, but he said, "I'm listening."

Determination flashed in Shikami's mom's eyes. "One, I've come here more than once before, so there's no reason for you to turn us away now. Two, find Kankuro or Temari, and they'll tell you to let us in. We're good friends. Three, I'm also good friends with the Kazekage. How do you think your Lord Gaara will react when he finds out you didn't let us in?"

The guard seemed about to send for a messenger to check her story, but a low voice called out before he could. "Let them in, Saburo."

The guard, apparently named Saburo, turned around swiftly and saluted the man who had spoken. "Y-yes, sir, Lord Kazekage. Right away."

Shikami saw his mom smirk at the guard as they passed, and he grinned.

"Gaara, it's great to see you again!" she said, immediately embracing the man – Gaara, Kazekage of Sunagakure.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they sat in a room on cushions. There were no chairs in sight in that room, for some reason.

Shikami's mom made the introductions quickly.

Gaara's appearance was very... Striking, Shikami decided. He had pale skin, red hair, and teal, almost pupil-less eyes. His eyes were outlined in black, he had no eyebrows, and he had a mark on his forehead. It looked like the kanji for 'love'. Not to mention the huge gourd he carried on his back.

"I knew you left Konoha years ago," Gaara began, "but I'd heard rumors you'd returned. I also heard that you'd died on one of your missions, but that apparently wasn't true."

Shikami's mom beamed at Shikami, Ethan, and Rue. "I actually might dead by now if it weren't for my son and his friends. Three months is a long time to put up with a stubborn prisoner," she laughed.

"The entire village of Konoha thinks she's dead," Ethan put in, "so what you heard was what everyone thought was the truth."

Before any more could be said, someone entered the room. "Gaara, I heard—"

The man broke off suddenly as he noticed the visitors. Covered from head to foot in a mostly black outfit, and with purple face paint covering most of his face, it was difficult to tell what exactly he looked like. He also carried a few scrolls strapped to his back.

But he broke into a huge grin when he saw Kaida, who had gotten to her feet when he entered. They exchanged high-fives.

"What I heard was right! Kaida, long time no see!" the man said. "Temari, get in here and see who's finally decided to pay us a visit!" he called through the now-open door he had just come through. Then he noticed Shikami. "And there's a mini-Shikamaru visiting, too!" he added.

Shikami's mom laughed. "It's great to see you again, Kankuro. And you too, Temari!" she added when yet another person walked through the doorway.

This one was a woman with blond hair done up into what seemed like four short, messy buns and dark teal eyes. She also had something strapped to her back. It looked like a really long, really thick piece of metal. What on earth did she use it for?

"Kaida?" Temari gasped, though she grinned. "No way; we'd heard that you'd been KIA a few months ago!"

More introductions and repeated explanations followed until everyone was finally on the same page.

"And since they left Konoha without permission, they can't go back," Shikami's mom concluded. "So we came here instead, hoping we'd be welcome here to rest for a little while."

"Welcome?" Temari echoed. "Honestly, Kaida, you didn't think we'd turn you away, did you?"

"Not for a second, but I worded it that way so it wouldn't seem like I was presuming too much," Shikami's mother said, grinning devilishly.

Kankuro rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah, we'd totally tell you to get lost, wouldn't we, baby brother?" he said, teasingly turning to Gaara.

Gaara just gave Kankuro a look, choosing to deny comment. Kankuro laughed.

"And what would you say to my request to send a messenger hawk to Konoha?" Shikami's mom laughed.

Gaara stood. "Follow me."

Shikami's mom motioned for Shikami, Ethan, and Rue to stay with Kankuro and Temari, and she followed Gaara from the room.

"How would you like a tour of this place?" Temari asked presently.

"No doors are closed to us, kids," Kankuro added with a wink.

* * *

So the rest of the evening, Shikami, Rue, and Ethan were given a quick tour of Suna, along with the promise of a more detailed tour the next day when they had more time in the day to spend.

It was about as big as Konoha, and there were ninja left and right, but that was where similarities seemed to end.

Konoha's weather, while definitely very warm since it had been summer, had been cooled by the shade of so many trees and the moisture in the earth and air and such. Suna was hot and dry, even in the fall, as it was now.

And while Konoha's buildings were as unique and colorful as you could ever find in one area, Suna's buildings seemed mostly to be made of hardened sand. The insides were usually more decorated than the outside, though.

At any rate, though it was different, Shikami didn't consider it better or worse than Konoha.

Suddenly a thought hit him. "Do you know if my mom's parents are here now?" he asked Kankuro and Temari, whoever cared to answer.

The two exchanged glances, seeming to be thinking.

Finally, Temari answered, "Mr. and Mrs. Yukiten? I think they actually just left a couple of days ago."

"If you had been coming directly from Konoha rather than a different part of the Fire Country, you probably would have bumped into them on your way here," Kankuro added.

It seemed their timing had been off just enough to keep from running into them. Shame.

That night, the four guests were put up in what didn't seem exactly like a hotel, but Shikami wasn't sure what else to call it. Apartment, maybe.

When Shikami looked out his window just before going to bed, he noticed that he had a killer view of almost the entire village, not to mention so many stars.

Back in the town he'd grown up in, he had seen a few stars dot the sky, but not enough to pick out any constellations. In Konoha, he had seen many more stars, and he found it amazing.

But here in Suna, there were so many stars that the sky hardly seemed dark for them all. He kept his window open so he could see them as he fell asleep.

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... ... ... ...Am I going to have to go back to the dreaded time-wasting? xD;

**We'll see, I guess. Anyways, as always, be sure to let me know your thoughts on this chapter! x33**


	43. Chapter 43

**A million apologies for the uber-slow update! D8 I could pepper you with excuses, but the main ones are I've either been not feeling very well or I've had way too much homework. Or both. x/ *broke my record* -.-'**

**Anyways, this chapter is kinda a time-waster, but hopefully next chapter either will be the last time-waster or it will already move along with the next major thing to happen. =3**

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The next morning, Shikami awoke later than usual, due to his room for once being on the west side of a building. The light didn't penetrate it as brightly for a while.

When he did finally wake up, he wandered from his room into the kitchen and dining room parts of the house to find Ethan and Rue sitting at a table, waiting to be served breakfast by Shikami's mom, who was busy in the kitchen.

She grinned brightly at him when she saw him. "Good morning, Shikami! Hungry?"

He offered a smaller grin in response. "Starved." He joined Ethan and Rue at the table.

"Lord Gaara swung by before you got up," Rue informed him. "He said we'd probably get word from Konoha in three days, not including today, if they send us a reply as soon as they get the message your mom sent out yesterday."

"I bet we'll be welcomed back as heroes for saving her," Ethan laughed.

"I wouldn't exactly bet on that," Shikami cautioned. "I mean, it'd be great if we were allowed back, but rules are rules, after all."

"Which are made to be broken," Ethan added teasingly. "But anyways, in the meantime, what are we going to do here?"

"Didn't you say Temari and Kankuro said they'd give you a better tour today, since you only skimmed some of the major places yesterday?" Shikami's mom called.

"Yeah, they did," Rue agreed. "Would that really take the entire day, though?"

"It'll be a start, at least," Shikami commented.

And true to their word, the two siblings showed up not long after breakfast had been finished, and they whisked the three away for their tour. Shikami wondered what his mom would do for the day, or if she'd be sitting around with nothing to do, but she didn't look worried about it.

Rue, Ethan, and Shikami were led around to different parts of the village, most of which were remarkable for one reason or another. (If they hadn't been, they wouldn't have been worth showing.) They were also introduced to Temari's and Kankuro's husband and wife and kids. They also learned that Gaara had never married, even though he had plenty of fangirls who would die for a chance to even date him.

Just before lunch, Temari was called away for some reason Shikami couldn't hear, then around midafternoon, Kankuro also had something to attend to. This left Shikami and Ethan and Rue to come up with their own thing to do for the rest of the day.

Rue decided to go back to the apartment, while Ethan and Shikami strolled around the village, simply talking.

Ethan bent down to pick up a handful of sand, but otherwise kept walking. "This sand is so loose and shifty, I don't know if my earth jutsu would work in the desert," he muttered.

"Maybe not as well," Shikami told him, "but you'd probably be able to do something."

"Hmm." Ethan let the sand pour through his fingers back to the ground.

"Are you hoping we'll still be allowed in Konoha after this?" he asked presently after a few moments of silence.

Shikami thought about it for a second, then had to answer, "Yeah. I didn't think I'd care after we got Mom back, but I do actually hope we can all still be ninja. What about you?"

"Definitely," Ethan said immediately. "I mean, being a ninja is great. Even the tension when we're in danger is great, in a weird, twisted kind of way. I miss my family, of course, though."

Shikami nodded. "I bet they're really worried, you having been gone for so long."

A man walked briskly past the boys, bumping into Ethan. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Ethan had to take a step back to catch his balance, but he grinned good-naturedly at the guy. "S'okay."

The man continued on his way, and the two boys continued their way as well as their conversation.

"Maybe they could move into Konoha," Ethan said, brightening. "There are lots of people in Konoha that aren't ninja."

"If that's not asking too much when they've already granted you access into the village a second time," Shikami said. And of course this was all assuming that Ethan and Shikami and Rue themselves would be permitted back in.

They passed a store and suddenly Ethan stopped. "I'm going in to get a drink or something. Want anything?"

Shikami shook his head. "Thanks, but no," he said, offering a grin.

Ethan grinned in response and ducked into the store. Only a few minutes afterwards, he emerged again with a confused look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Shikami asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My wallet's gone," Ethan said.

"Did you leave it at the..." Shikami trailed off, a memory flashing in his mind's eye.

Ethan seemed unaware of this, answering the unfinished question, "No, I'm sure I brought it with me. And I remember my hand bumping against it when I took a mint out of my pocket not even an hour ago."

"What about the man who bumped into you?" Shikami asked. "He would've had the perfect chance to take it."

"And he should learn that stealing doesn't pay," a voice behind them said.

Shikami and Ethan turned around and came face-to-face with Gaara and Shikami's mom. Gaara held out Ethan's wallet.

"This is yours, right?" he asked.

Ethan nodded and accepted it. "Yeah, thanks. But I bumped into him more than fifteen minutes ago. How'd you get it back?"

"We caught him pick-pocketing another person," Shikami's mom explained. "When Gaara called him on it and had him searched, we found your wallet among other stolen stuff."

She and Gaara exchanged grins as though sharing some private joke – well, Shikami's mom had grinned; Gaara had given a small smile. Shikami doubted Gaara ever gave an all-out grin like his mom; it just didn't seem to be in his nature.

At any rate, the four of them meandered throughout the Sand Village, eventually making their way to the Kazekage's residence where it looked like someone had prepared a banquet or feast or something for them and Rue and Temari and Kankuro (and their families, of course).

When Shikami asked what the occasion was, Kankuro ruffled his hair and messed it up and said teasingly, "You didn't die on your mission, your mom is still alive, you're personal guests of the Kazekage... What more excuse do you need to throw a feast?"

"Excuse?" Shikami echoed, raising his eyebrows. "Do you throw parties every time you can think of a reason for one?"

Most people within hearing distance of his comment either smirked or laughed, but no one answered his question.

Suspicious.

* * *

That night, Shikami looked out at the countless stars again before falling asleep. Roughly three full days left until an answer came from Konoha.

And then he would either return to a simple life back in the town he grew up in, or he would return to the ninja life he already surprisingly missed.

With his mom back, being a ninja may actually be a career he would choose rather than something he did for one specific, narrow-minded goal.

Another thought crossed his mind. What path would his mom choose? She was permitted back in the village still, and now that Shikami thought about it, she looked happier in Suna than she had many days back home. There wasn't too much difference in her actions, but the look in her eyes told all.

If she chose to ignore the ninja life to stay with Shikami, how could he accept that?

He tried to block out the thoughts and fall asleep.

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And there ya have it~ x33 ...I don't feel like it's my best work since I haven't written anything in a while and am therefore somewhat out of practice, but hopefully you enjoyed it anyways. ^_~

**Please leave a review for me again~! 83 Maybe they'll make me try harder for a faster update this time, though it might not be tomorrow. xD;**


	44. Chapter 44

**A million apologies for dropping off the face of the planet! TT_TT I could bombard you with excuses - way too much homework, visitors, Orochimaru coming back to life and eating my computer - but let's just start the chapter, I guess.**

**This chapter's kinda small, really only half a chapter, but I didn't really want the second half of the original included in it. It just kinda made the overall chapter loaded with too much vital info, you know?**

**...I probably lost you, 'specially since you don't know what'll be in the next chapter. Gomen. e_e But please, if I'll ever stop rambling, you may read on! ^^;**

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Three days later, as Shikami was walking around the village with Rue and Ethan, a messenger appeared and escorted them to Gaara's office.

Rue was immediately enveloped in a hug – what looked like a tight I'm-never-going-to-let-go squeeze – by her mom. Also in the room were Hotori and Gaara and Shikami's mom. Shikami wondered why his mom looked ready to blast a hole in the wall, but then he realized he probably knew.

Apparently, the news had not been positive.

"Rue, what on earth were you thinking, running off like that?" Kyra scolded. "Your father and I have been frantic!"

Rue mumbled something that sounded like an apology, and Kyra's expression lightened. She ran her fingers through her daughter's hair and turned to Ethan and Shikami.

"I should probably be scolding all three of you for running off," she said. No one else in the room said anything, and Kyra finally sighed. "However, I'm way too relieved that the three of you are safe and that you got Kaida back."

Shikami smiled uneasily but still kept quiet.

"So, uh, what's going on?" Ethan asked finally. "I mean, can we go back, or what?"

Kyra's expression darkened. "Kaida can return, of course, but there was some dispute about you three."

Hotori picked up from there. "Naruto and the Konoha Council argued for a while over it. Naruto saw no reason why you couldn't return since you'd rescued a jonin thought to have died. But the council decided reinforce the rules with Shikami and Ethan, though they allowed Rue to return."

"Their reasoning," Shikami's mom added bitterly, "was that Shikami and Ethan had kidnapped Rue, so she had not willingly left and therefore could return. And so adding kidnapping to leaving without permission, and you two became doubly banished."

Shikami stared at the three jonin, shocked into speechlessness. He had been bracing himself for still being banished, but what kind of reasoning was that?

Rue shifted her feet and looked uncertainly over at Shikami and Ethan, probably caught between elation at getting to go home and disappointment (or even guilt, perhaps) that Shikami and Ethan couldn't go back as well.

Ethan's jaw dropped in surprise, then he demanded, "Okay, I get that we broke a major rule by leaving Konoha without permission, but how on earth did they come to the conclusion that we kidnapped her?"

Kyra sighed. "I know it doesn't seem fair, Ethan, but so long as they hold the reins, there's nothing we can do about it."

"But..." Rue faltered. "If I tell them the truth, tell them they didn't kidnap me..."

Hotori shook his head. "It's next to impossible to get anything through their thick skulls, especially once they've made up their minds and dismissed the matter."

"Besides, that might get them to not only make Shikami and Ethan exiles, but you as well," Shikami's mom added.

Shikami leaned back against the wall and tried to stop his blood from boiling. _This is what you knew could happen_, he reminded himself. _You were fully aware of the possibility that you would be expelled forever and would have to go back home._

"Well," he said aloud, slowly. "If that's what they've decided, there's nothing we can do about it."

Ethan didn't look very happy about that, either, but he finally nodded and managed a wry grin. "My parents will be glad to have me back, I guess. And if that small village of ours ever gets any bad guys to show up, we can kick butt then."

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Aww, are Shikami and Ethan leaving the ninja world forever? And what will Kaida decide? Stay tuned, cuz unless I'm lazy beyond belief or I suddenly and randomly die without reason or I get swallowed whole by the Big Bad Wolf, the next chapter will be up very soon, probably within the next two or three days! xD;

**And reviewing will only help me update more quickly. Authors can starve if they don't have enough reviews to nom on. x3**


	45. Chapter 45

**Looks like I'm not lazy beyond belief, and I'm still alive and healthy. x3 Here's part two of what was originally chapter forty-four! ^^**

* * *

That night, when everyone else had gone to bed, Shikami stayed in the living room with his mom, at her request, wondering what it was she wanted. They sat down on the couch and Shikami waited for her to say something.

When she didn't, he began, "Will you go back to Konoha?"

"No." She hadn't even hesitated, which surprised him.

"Why not?" he asked.

She fiddled with her headband for a moment, then let her hands drop and she fiddled with her ring. What was she nervous about?

"I'm considering... other options."

Shikami raised an eyebrow, and his mom answered his unasked question.

"I could always return home with you. Konoha was my home once, Shikami, but it's not anymore. Now that you know the truth about it all, we will probably have many visitors - Kyra, my parents, possibly your father's parents, et cetera. You and Ethan will have to keep quiet as much as possible about where they're from and all that - but you know, that, right?"

Shikami nodded. Just because he now knew that ninja existed didn't mean the entire town he grew up in could know about it.

"So, like I said, some friends will probably visit, and I'll likely visit them, but I'm not going to live in Konoha anymore."

"Because you don't want to leave me alone?" Shikami asked, feeling guilt creeping up.

"Yes."

"Mom—"

She put a finger to his lips. "Put yourself in my shoes, Shikami. What would you do for your only child?"

Shikami hated to admit it, but, "I'd stay with my kid if he was banished and his other parent was dead."

"Exactly."

"You said you were considering other options, plural. What else were you thinking about?"

His mom studied him for a moment, then said, seeming to ignore his question, "If you were given the choice, and you had nothing dramatic happening like me going missing or a council deciding your fate for you, what life would you choose to live?"

Shikami thought about that for a while, even though he already had a general idea. Finally he answered, "I'd like to be a ninja, go on missions and help and protect people and everything, but I'd miss home, too. I guess I'd like to be a ninja with vacation time."

His mom laughed.

"I'm serious," Shikami insisted, though he grinned as well in spite of himself.

"I know you are," she said, grinning. "It's just that that's the first time I've ever heard of a view like that."

"So, my question?" Shikami pressed.

His mom's amused grin faded to a softer smile, sad yet bright at the same time somehow. "Gaara made me an offer today. If I say yes, you'll be able to get your wish."

Shikami blinked. "How? I'm banished."

"From Konoha," she specified. "Shikami Nara, genin of Konohagakure, is no longer allowed to set foot in the Hidden Leaf Village. But if you were to join another village, you would be able to continue being a ninja. And it's just possible that Shikami Nara of Sunagakure would be permitted back in Konoha for the Chunin Exams."

Shikami stared at her. "Really? Gaara would let me be a ninja of the Sand Village? Would Ethan be allowed to do so, too?"

"Not so fast," his mom cautioned. "You can't just switch villages so easily, not without permission from more than just the Kazekage. And it would be extremely difficult to get that permission because of your banishment. Something has to take place to prove loyalty, to form a nearly unbreakable tie with that village."

"Like what?"

"Sometimes, when one tries to join a rival village rather than an ally, ninja steal powerful weapons from their village to offer as gifts to the next."

"As if Ethan and I would do that anyways," Shikami told her needlessly. "Besides, Suna and Konoha are allies."

Shikami remembered a couple stories, one in particular, where a ninja had defected from his village to join a rival village as well, but he had had nothing to offer but himself. That seemed to be all that village's leader had wanted, though - the power, or potential, that the young ninja had possessed. But again, Suna and Konoha were allies.

She nodded and continued with the other option. "And sometimes..." She hesitated. "Sometimes, a marriage takes place, and family and friends as close as family can move to live in the same village as the shinobi who married and moved villages."

Shikami froze. She couldn't mean...

"Honey, Gaara has asked me to marry him."

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*drops bomb in chur lap* xP

**Well, here's hoping I won't have a huuuge delay before my next update, but I can't make any promises this time. x/ There's other stuff I need to update, and other stuff I need to write, not to mention that the teachers usually use "Students start acting up and slacking off this time of the year" as an excuse to give out more homework. *headdesk* But I lovez you all, my wonderful readers and reviewers! ^^**

**Speaking of which... *pokes below review button* x3**


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